Tetsuya's Busters Story!
by Stonecoldhard12
Summary: A couple of months had passed since reuniting with Naruto and company. Tetsuya, the bearing family man receives details about a bus incident containing a few passengers and learns more about them from an entity that he owes his service to. What is this information that our hero will learn? How will it impact him and his family?
1. Briefing: A Wife's Will of Fire

It had been an ordinary day in the Pure Land for Tetsuya Uzumaki and his wife, Yuki Uzumaki. Tetsuya was reading a book on prevention and safety in the dining room by the time Yuki told him that breakfast was ready; he placed the book on the far-right side of the table and proceeded to eat breakfast alongside with his wife. Once they got done eating breakfast and cleaned up the dishes, Tetsuya wanted to teach Yuki the experiences he learned from reading the book which would help her out as well. Yuki, who had been the daughter of the owners and founders of the Sakagami bakery store knew that she wanted to like her husband. However, Tetsuya was recently promoted to co-manager at the Sakagami bakery store; he also helps his sister and brother-in-law who live in the same area when they need him.

Things were about to take an unexpected turn when Tetsuya and Yuki hear a sudden knock coming from the front door of their apartment. Yuki gets up from her chair to see who was at the door. Yuki felt surprised to see a woman with long blond hair and a purple diamond shaped marking on her forehead who was standing alongside with a tall man who had sky blue hair. Realizing who was at the door, Tetsuya got up from his chair in the dining room and proceeded to stand right next to Yuki.

"Tsunade-Sensei and Dan-Senpai. It's been a while. Come on in." Tetsuya stated his greetings to both the woman and man that were knocking on the door earlier.

"It's been a while since we last you guys. Thank you for giving us a cup of tea, Yuki. However, the reason that me and Tsunade came here is not to basically have a catch-up visit." Dan said once he took a sip of tea that Yuki handed him, Tetsuya, and Tsunade.

"What do you mean by that?" Tetsuya asked with a curious look on his face

"Tetsuya, well we came down here to see if you were interested in doing a rescue mission with us. I am aware that it was sudden to ask this even in front of Yuki. It looks like you're a bit uncertain about deciding to take interest in the mission." Tsunade replied once she saw the doubtful look in Tetsuya's face.

"Well, Sensei it's that…..." Tetsuya stated with hesitation in his voice.

"Tetsuya, my love, I can't believe you are trying to back out from taking interest in doing a mission with your mentor and senpai. Look if you are not considering on doing this rescue mission, then I will." Yuki said without any hesitation.

Then it felt like a complete surprise to Dan and Tsunade when they heard Yuki's statement. However, Tetsuya started to feel very concerned after hearing Yuki's statement and looked at Yuki with a worried look on his face. It didn't take long for both Tsunade and Dan to sense that Yuki had a motive in her statement by looking at Tetsuya and Yuki's facial expressions. "_Yuki, it seems that all of the tales of Tetsuya's heroic missions which Minato, Sarutobi-sensei, Kushina, Dan, Lady Biwako, and myself when he was in the living world has instilled a new purpose in you. Now convince Tetsuya to come with us so that you can truly follow in his footsteps._" Tsunade thought to herself with a smile on her face.

"Yuki, sweetheart, certain rescue missions tend to be very dangerous and high chances of getting injured just like the book I read earlier was describing. I have always been concerned about your safety from countless things and now you accepted to do this mission without knowing the details." Tetsuya said with a worried look on his face.

"Listen to me, my love. I accepted the mission request from your sensei and senpai for a very special reason. It's that I know all about your heroic tales from when you were in the living world and I want to be like you. I need your support just like when we made our wedding vows and became an inseparable team." Yuki said with a bold look on her face.

"I'm very glad to have married you, Yuki. You have my full support since I now have decided to take this mission with you, Tsunade-Sensei, and Dan-Senpai." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face before kissing Yuki on the forehead.

Yuki, Tsunade, and Dan felt relieved that Tetsuya accepted interest in the rescue mission; now the four of them decided to head into the living room since they were getting tired of standing around by the front door. Upon getting situated in the sofa, Tsunade had pulled out a map from her pocket which she laid out on the living room table for the others to see. After taking a glance at the map, Tetsuya proceeded to fill up two bags with first-aid kits and four bottles of water. This amazed Yuki even though she was more curious on what the rescue mission was going to be about.

Once Tetsuya sat back down on the sofa is when Tsunade was going to begin the mission briefing. However, Yuki felt a little anxious since it was her first time being at a briefing and Tetsuya assured her that it would be no different from a work meeting. That helped calm Yuki's nerves down and gave Tsunade some time to think about the mission briefing before presenting it.

"Two days ago, a bus filled with twelve passengers that recently just came into the Pure Land had crashed on a steep cliff in an area which I think you're very familiar with, Tetsuya. The bus had toppled over and ended up deep in the woods where emergency crews couldn't reach it. This was when I got notified by the emergency crews about their situation and requested for the person that the area relied on the most for heroic work to help: you. Our mission is simply to rescue those passengers from the bus wreck." Tsunade stated the mission briefing with a calm tone.

"I understand very well, Tsunade-Sensei. That cliff is what overlooks this area is roughly about ten miles north of here." Tetsuya said with a sigh underneath his breath.

After the mission briefing was over, Tetsuya got up to grab the two bags filled with first-aid kits and bottles of water in which he originally placed by the door. This prompted Tsunade to put the map back in her pocket and proceeded to step outside of the apartment with Dan. Yuki felt a little nervous while looking at the apartment one more time and stepped outside.

"Feeling a bit nervous about doing this, sweetheart. Don't worry, I'm feeling the same way since it's been a very long time that I have done a rescue mission with both my sensei and senpai. Are you to ready to go on this mission?" Tetsuya stated as he handed one of the bags to Yuki and locked up the apartment once he stepped outside.

"I am ready to head out, my love. At least your sensei and senpai were nice enough to wait on us." Yuki replied with a bold look on her face.


	2. The Daring Rescue

Tetsuya, Yuki, Tsunade, and Dan embarked on their mission until they got to a rendezvous point two miles before the cliff. That was when a couple of emergency crew members had approached Tetsuya and Tsunade to give them an update on the situation. While that conversation was going on, Yuki on the other hand was looking at the cliff and began to admire its beauty. Then Tetsuya and Tsunade came back from talking to the emergency crew members with bearing looks on their faces.

"It looks like we're going have to venture into the wreckage site by traversing through this steep forest. The emergency crew had lent us a machete for us to use since this forest is filled with very thick branches that would block the path for us to bring the passengers of the wreck here and we need to cut those branches down." Tetsuya stated with a calm tone.

"Listen up, Yuki. I want you to help Dan bring back the passengers once we get to the site. Can you handle it?" Tsunade asked with in a clear tone.

"Yes, I can do that task for you, Lady Tsunade." Yuki replied without any hesitation in her voice.

Tetsuya and Dan had gone on ahead into the forest when Yuki gave that response. However, Tsunade started to see that Yuki had reminded her a whole lot like all the students she ever had under her tutelage; but mainly Tetsuya with the strong heart and will to do anything. Yuki and Tsunade did manage to catch up with Tetsuya who was giving his arm a rest after swinging the machete. About four hundred yards in the forest, Dan notices a trail of dry blood upon moving away a branch he just cut down and signaled the others to come over.

That gave the lead which kept Tetsuya and Tsunade on high alert into hopefully finding the wrecked bus. Dan still had the machete went ahead of Tetsuya, Tsunade, and Yuki in case if there were any thick branches down along the trail.

After walking fifty more yards, Dan notices a couple of people lying there all heavily bruised and bloodied up right in front of him. This is when Tetsuya, Tsunade, Yuki, and Dan realized that they had reached the site of the bus wreck. The search for the other ten passengers was entrusted to Dan and Yuki; but before that search could be conducted Yuki handed Tetsuya the other bag filled with the first-aid kits and bottled waters.

"Me and Dan are bringing you guys the other ten passengers now." Yuki stated with a calm look on her face.

"It seems that these two here must have dragged their fellow passengers out of the bus once the wreck subsided and passed out from my estimate at least a couple of hours ago. Tetsuya lay out the green floor padding." Tsunade stated with a calm look on her face.

Tetsuya nodded his head and got the green floor padding out of his first-aid kit bag; so, he could gently place it on a flat spot where it would make things a little easier for him and Tsunade to clean off any visible residue on the passengers. However, Tsunade pulled out the first-aid kits so she and Tetsuya would be prepared by the time all twelve passengers were in their aid station.

Once Yuki and Dan brought the other ten passengers into the aid station; That was when Tetsuya began to look at them alongside with the two passengers that were laying right beneath his feet. "_Oh my God. These are the twelve people that the Sage told me about in my last vision. Wait a minute, I'm starting to sense his presence._" Tetsuya thought to himself with a shocked look on his face.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Yuki asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Could you, Tsunade-Sensei, and Dan-Senpai go say hide behind the trees that is two hundred yards north of us for a few minutes? Don't worry there will be a signal for you guys to come back so we can finish up this mission." Tetsuya replied with a sigh underneath his breath.

"Oh, alright." Yuki replied with a sigh as she followed Tsunade and Dan into the northern section of the forest.

Tetsuya looked around for a few seconds until he saw a mystical figure coming towards him in the center of the aid station. Suddenly, Tetsuya bowed down upon recognizing who the mystical figure was being none other than the Sage of the Six Paths.

"Sage, it looks like the people that lay right in front of me match the same description you gave me the last time we conversed. I might have forgotten their names since then but can you tell me them again." Tetsuya stated once he got done greeting the Sage of the Six Paths.

"Very well, then Tetsuya. Since all the twelve people I talked about in our previous conversation lay here before our very feet; it is fitting that I shall tell you their names starting with the ones right in front of you. The person standing by your left foot is a short male with black hair that goes by the name Riki Naoe. Then laying by your right foot is a short female with long brown hair named Rin Natsume. The third person on the same row is a tall brown hair male named Kyousuke Natsume and the tall white-haired male right next to him is named Kengo Miyazawa. Then the blue haired male wearing the bandana on the far end is named Masato Inohara and the white haired female next to him is named Kud Noumi." The Sage said while pointing his stick around.

"There is a question I wanted to ask but it can wait until I find out the names of the people in the back row." Tetsuya said in a quiet tone.

"Ok, where was I. Oh yes. The two females that lay unconscious in the back row with purple hair are named Haruka Saigusa and Kanata Futaki. Then the person next to them is a female with long black hair who goes by the name Yuiko Kurugaya. The short blue-haired female laid next to her is known as Mio Nishizono and the short light-brown haired female beside her is named Komari Kamikita. Then the final person in the back row is a very long violet haired female that is known as Sasami Sasasegawa. Now that you know all the names of the people which lay before you, Tetsuya. What was the question that you wanted to ask me?" The Sage said as he put his stick away.

"Do these people know that they are in the Pure Land and understand what it means to be here?" Tetsuya asked without any hesitation in his voice.

"I have peered into their minds and they do not know what is fully going on based on this analysis. Tetsuya, listen to me very carefully. I want you to tell Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Kengo, Masato, Kud, Haruka, Kanata, Yuiko, Mio, Komari, and Sasami all about the Pure Land including to accept that they are here. Good luck with everything and farewell." The Sage stated as he was about to disappear from the aid station.

Tetsuya nodded his head in accepting the Sage's request and saw a flicker of light indicating that the Sage had disappeared from the aid station. Then Yuki, Tsunade, and Dan started to head back to the aid station once they realized that the flicker of light was the signal Tetsuya had been referring to earlier. However, Tetsuya noticed there was a piece of paper with written name tags in his right hand and the names on those tags were the ones that he had just learned from the Sage; he placed the name tags on the right side of everyone that was laid in front of him. By the time he made it back to where the first-aid kits were placed, Tetsuya notices that Yuki, Tsunade, and Dan had made it back to the aid station.

Tetsuya started to open a first-aid kit until Tsunade came and he handed the kit to her after opening it. While waiting for Tetsuya and Tsunade to finish cleaning up Riki and Rin; Yuki noticed all the name tags in which she started to remember the names inscribed on them. Tsunade had finished cleaning the residue off Riki and she started to look at the others for any visible injuries while Tetsuya was finishing wiping the blood splatter from Rin.

"Ok, Dan-Senpai and Sweetheart. These two are ready to be taken up to the emergency crew." Tetsuya said once he got done cleaning the blood residue off Rin.

"Alright. We will be back shortly." Dan stated as he hoisted Riki on his back.

Yuki with Rin hoisted on her back followed Dan out of the forest with a little rush back to the rendezvous point. "_I'm very impressed that Yuki is catching up at an alarming rate. She is certainly like Tetsuya without a shadow of a doubt. Therefore, you wanted her to do this task alongside me, Tsunade. You knew all of this time, didn't you?_" Dan thought to himself while on route to the rendezvous point with Riki still on his back.

Once they made it to the rendezvous point, Yuki and Dan placed Riki and Rin on stretchers that the emergency crew members brought out. The emergency crew members dispatched six ambulances to come to their location once Yuki and Dan went back down to the forest.

Tetsuya and Tsunade had finished cleaning off the residue on the remaining people that was still at the aid station; so they put away the first-aid kit and remains of bottled water back in the bags. A few seconds later, Tetsuya noticed that there were heavy bruise marks indicating signs of injury on Kyousuke, Masato, and Kengo which he nudged Tsunade to look at the bruises. "_Hmm…. I'm guessing that these guys were trying to protect their friends right as the bus turned over. Wait a minute did I just say friends and for some reason it feels like that's something a friend would do for one another. Despite that I don't even know these people yet._" Tetsuya thought to himself once he got done looking at the bruise marks on Kyousuke, Masato, and Kengo.

Then Yuki and Dan made it back to the aid station all surprised to see that Tetsuya and Tsunade had finished cleaning the residue off Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Kud, Haruka, Yuiko, Mio, Komari, Sasami, and Kanata. This made the only thing left to do is to carry the rest of the people that laid in front of Tetsuya, Yuki, Tsunade, and Dan back to the rendezvous point.

It had reached evening in the Pure Land once Dan and Yuki brought the remaining people of the bus wreck to the rendezvous point with Tetsuya and Tsunade not that far behind them. Then the emergency crew members proceeded to thank Tetsuya, Tsunade, Yuki, and Dan for their bravery in rescuing the bus wreck passengers from the forest. While the ambulances were driving away with the passengers away from the rendezvous point, Tetsuya had approached a crew member asking them which hospital the ambulances were going to. This was when Tetsuya got a smile and thanked the crew member when he was told that the ambulances were going to the hospital that wasn't far from the apartment.

In that moment, Tsunade and Dan were getting ready to head off in a different direction but not before being stopped by Tetsuya and Yuki. Tsunade felt relieved that she had been stopped for a quick second and put on a smile on her face.

"Are you and Dan-Senpai heading back home, Tsunade-Sensei?" Tetsuya asked with a calm look on his face.

"Yes, we are heading back to the village, Tetsuya. However, there is something very important I want to say to Yuki before we head out." Tsunade replied with a calm look on her face.

"What is it, Lady Tsunade?" Yuki asked with a curious look on her face.

"Yuki, I was very impressed with how well you handled this rescue mission with me, Tetsuya, and Dan. You proved yourself to be in some way a hero out there today by showing a courageous heart and that is something to be very proud of. Since you're married to my faithful pupil, can you address me as Tsunade-Sensei even though I had not taught you as much compared to Tetsuya. Well me and Dan are heading off now. See you guys later." Tsunade replied as she and Dan were gradually walking away.

"Good-bye, Tsunade-Sensei and Dan-Senpai. Have a safe journey back home and thank you for the cooperation in the mission today." Tetsuya and Yuki stated in unison while walking back to the apartment with the first-aid kit bags on their backs.


	3. The Day After Heroic Rescue

Upon arriving back at the apartment, Yuki decides to make dinner while Tetsuya was putting away the first-aid kits in their bathroom closet. However, Tetsuya went ahead to take a shower since he was already in the bathroom.

By the time Tetsuya got out of the shower, Yuki had finished preparing their dinner which was a big plate of pork cutlets. While they were eating dinner, Tetsuya had reflected on what Tsunade said to Yuki at the very end of their mission and looked directly at his wife with a smile on his face. Suddenly, Yuki blushed when she saw Tetsuya's facial expression causing her to sweat a little on her face.

"You…. caught…me off guard there, my love." Yuki stated as the blushed look started to go away.

"Sorry about that, sweetheart. I was thinking about what Tsunade-Sensei said to you before she and Dan-Senpai left." Tetsuya said before taking the final bite of his dinner.

"Yes, what about it, Tetsuya?" Yuki asked as she was placing her hand on top of Tetsuya's hand.

"To tell you the truth hearing those kind words coming from Tsunade-Sensei tonight meant a lot to me. I too am also very proud of what you did out there and that is saying a lot." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

Yuki had a big smile on her face as a reaction to Tetsuya's response and proceeded to finish eating her dinner. As Tetsuya was cleaning up the dinner dishes, he started to think about the passengers.

Once all the dinner dishes were put away, Tetsuya went into the living room while Yuki headed to the bathroom to a take a soothing shower. In the moment that he sits down on the sofa, Tetsuya hears his cell phone going off. Realizing who it is on the caller identification Tetsuya frantically answers his cell phone.

"Oh, hi Minato." Tetsuya stated nervously as it was his brother-in-law on the phone.

"Hello, Tetsuya. Me and Kushina just heard about the people that were in the bus which wrecked off the cliff two days ago had been rescued. Then a neighbor who also knew about the situation told Kushina that you and Yuki were key figures that helped rescue those people. Suddenly, Kushina came back to me with a tear of joy dripping down her face." Minato stated with a calm tone on his end of the phone conversation.

"I see. This is like a congratulatory message from both you and Sis. Thank you that means a lot to me and Yuki." Tetsuya stated with a calm tone.

"You're welcome, Tetsuya. By the way Kushina says hi to you and Yuki." Minato said with a smile on his end of the phone.

"Tell Sis that me and Yuki said hello to her as well. Minato, I was wondering before I get off the phone here if you had anything planned tomorrow." Tetsuya stated with curiosity in his voice.

"I don't have anything major going on tomorrow, Tetsuya. Why do you want to know that?" Minato replied out of curiosity.

"Well I was wondering if you could come with me to the hospital tomorrow." Tetsuya stated with a sigh underneath his breath.

"Alright, Tetsuya. I will go with you. I better go since Kushina wants me for something. See you tomorrow." Minato said as he was about to hang up the phone.

"Sounds good, Minato. See you tomorrow." Tetsuya said as he ended the phone conversation.

Once he placed his cell phone on the living room table, Tetsuya notices Yuki was coming and he moved over his spot on the sofa to give her a spot to sit in. Yuki feeling refreshed from taking a shower proceeded to ask Tetsuya what happened while she was in the shower. This is when Tetsuya told Yuki that Minato had called him on his cell phone and the congratulatory message. Yuki started to feel very happy that the tale about the rescue mission was getting praised by her in-laws. However, Tetsuya started to get very sleepy so he headed off to the bedroom and Yuki a couple of minutes later followed him.

The next day, Tetsuya woke up real early and got ready with no hurry; he decided to make Yuki's lunch since she had to work and left a note for her on the dining room table wishing her to have a good day at work. "_Ah I see that Minato's coming this way. It's time to head out._" Tetsuya thought to himself as he saw a tall spiked blonde-hair man coming near the apartment door. That was when Tetsuya quietly walked out of the apartment without waking up Yuki and closed the door very gently.

"Good morning, Tetsuya." Minato said once he saw Tetsuya step out of the apartment.

"Good morning, Minato. Let's head out to the hospital." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

Minato nodded his head as he traveled alongside Tetsuya away from the apartment complex to the hospital which was a few blocks north. While they were on the way to the hospital, Tetsuya notices that Minato had a very curious look on his face.

"Why didn't Yuki come and join us, Tetsuya?" Minato asked out of curiosity.

"Yesterday was her only day off from working at the noodle shop for since she filled in for a co-worker that is on sick leave until two days from now I think." Tetsuya replied with a sigh underneath his breath.

With a sigh underneath his breath, Minato understood the circumstances and could tell that Tetsuya wasn't bothered by giving that explanation at all. Then for the rest of short walk to the hospital Tetsuya and Minato only talked about how their nights went after the phone call the night before. Once they stepped foot on the hospital grounds, Tetsuya looked at Minato with a bold look of confidence on his face as a sign to trust his eternal best friend who begins to realize why he was brought along.

Upon entering the hospital, Tetsuya and Minato see a familiar face working at the front desk. It had been none other than Ryou Fujibayashi, Tetsuya's other best friend since their days back at the academy. Ryou had worked at the hospital as a nurse which had been a dream of hers for only a couple of months.

"Hello, Tetsuya. I see you brought Minato with you. I heard about what happened last night." Ryou said while she was typing up something.

"Hello, Ryou. It was very sad to see the condition of those twelve people before me, Yuki, my mentor and senpai rescued them from that wreck site last night. How are they doing?" Tetsuya stated with a sigh under his breath.

Before Ryou could answer Tetsuya's question, she got up from the front desk and walked Tetsuya to the waiting room. Minato proceeded to read a magazine that was on a waiting room chair with a smile on his face.

"Well we had to repair a couple of ligaments on Kyousuke, Masato, and Kengo. For Riki and Rin, they had fractured ribs which nearly punctured their lungs based on x-rays we took late last night. The others basically had hidden shards of glass that we removed through emergency surgery and their muscles were heavily contracted with invisible bruises. I don't know if they have regained consciousness yet, Tetsuya. Hold on…." Ryou replied right before she notices one of her fellow doctors coming into the waiting room.

"Ryou, I see that you were telling Tetsuya about the injuries the people which he had a part of rescuing last night. I came by with some good news now that he's here." The doctor stated with a smile on his face because he had known about Ryou and Tetsuya's friendship for a long time.

"What is the good news, doctor?" Tetsuya asked with curiosity on his face.

"The people that you helped rescue last night just regained consciousness, Tetsuya. It seems that you have something to say to all of them. We can set up a portion of the dining hall that no one uses as a small conference room for you to do that." The doctor replied with a calm look on his face.

"Thank you, doctor." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

Tetsuya proceeded to follow the doctor to set up the conference room and signaled Minato to come along with him. While they were setting up the conference room, Tetsuya started to feel a nervous and Minato suggested that they should get a quick bite to eat. Having a bagel and cup of coffee from the hospital's dining hall helped calm Tetsuya's nerves.

A half hour later, the conference room was completed to the satisfaction of Tetsuya, Minato, and some of the hospital staff. Then Tetsuya nodded his head for the doctor to have Ryou and the other nurses bring in Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Haruka, Kanata, Kurugaya, Mio, and Sasami to the conference room. Minato decided to step out of the room at the same time; but he headed off to the gift shop and promised Tetsuya that he would return momentarily.

As he was waiting in the conference room, Tetsuya started to feel more courageous about going through with everything that the Sage of the Six Paths entrusted him to do the night before. Then while filling a cup of water from the nearby filter is when Tetsuya heard a knock coming from the conference room door. This is when Tetsuya realized that Ryou and the nurses have brought Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Haruka, Kanata, Kurugaya, Mio, and Sasami. So, Tetsuya proceeded to open the door for Ryou and the nurses while still holding the cup of water in his hand. Ryou whispered in Tetsuya's ear to wish him luck before she and the nurses stepped out of the conference room. Before he went on with the introductions, Tetsuya wanted to finish his last sip of water and placed the cup in the trash bin.

"Who are you?" The black-haired male and long brown-haired female sitting in the wheelchair asked Tetsuya in unison.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Tetsuya Uzumaki. I was one of the people that rescued all of you last night. There's no need of telling me your names since I already know them: Riki Naoe, Rin Natsume, Kyousuke Natsume, Masato Inohara, Kengo Miyazawa, Komari Kamikita, Haruka Saigusa, Kud Noumi, Kanata Futaki, Sasami Sasasegawa, Mio Nishizono, and Yuiko Kurugaya." Tetsuya replied with a neutral tone.

"It is nice to meet you, Tetsuya. Do you know how we are supposed to get home?" Riki asked out of curiosity.

"You're just overreacting thinking it's one of those illusion worlds again, Riki." Rin stated with a sigh under her breath.

"It's not an illusion world, you guys. Tetsuya was it, can you please tell us where we are?" Kyousuke asked with a stern voice.

"You guys are in the one place where souls are in eternal harmony and peace. It is known by few as the Pure Land but the common people tend to refer it as the afterlife. Basically, your bodies in the living world are now officially dead and I am very sorry to be the bearer of this news." Tetsuya replied with an honest tone and sigh under his breath.

Upon hearing the news of them being officially in the afterlife had mixed reactions amongst the small group and a common factor was that they had tears dripping down all their faces. Tetsuya proceeded to gradually open the blinds in the conference room window and looked out of it. "_That was the hardest thing I have ever done to tell these people where they are and that they are not in the living world anymore. It completely hurts my heart because those people look like the exact same age as Naruto was when I came up here. Well I have got to make it up to them somehow even though I just met them._" Tetsuya thought to himself as a tear was starting to drip down his face.

Suddenly, a small hand taps on Tetsuya's back causing him to turn around and see the short white haired Kud wanting to get his attention back towards the group. Tetsuya was surprised to see Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Haruka, Kanata, Sasami, Mio, and Kurugaya have smiles on their faces.

"I am guessing you guys are all friends with each other. That's how you managed to accept where you guys are by understanding everything." Tetsuya said after wiping the tear off his face.

"Yes, all of us had always been friends with each other. Rin's my younger sister. Riki, Masato, and Kengo had been mine and Rin's best friends since childhood back when we were alive. As for Komari, Kud, Haruka, Mio, Kanata, Kurugaya, and Sasami we had gone to the same high school." Kyousuke said with a smiling grin on his face.

"Having friendships like this one is a very strong bond which can be completely eternal. However, adding your siblings makes not only the friendship bond expand in all aspects but the special bond that is unique to siblings gets stronger than ever before." Tetsuya stated with a smile on his face.

A couple of minutes later, Ryou and the nurses come back to the conference room while they locked the door. This caused Tetsuya to walk up to Ryou with a very suspicious look on his face.

"Can you please tell me what's going on here, Ryou? You and the nurses got here in a hurry like something scared you guys. Don't you realize that there are people here that I have kept in this room for over an hour now." Tetsuya said with a calm look on his face.

"Well there was a fight that broke out at right near the front desk and got to the point where our head doctor instructed me to bring the nurses here. Tetsuya, the fight looked to be an intense argument. Uh-oh _they're_ getting closer." Ryou replied right before she started hearing loud ruckuses coming from the other side of the conference room door.

Tetsuya with a sigh underneath his breath knew the loud ruckuses well and he requested one of the nurses to unlock the door so that he could head out there much to the surprise of everyone that was still in the conference room. Once he stepped foot in the dining hall, Tetsuya saw a long red-haired female verbally arguing with Minato and he went up to them with a calm look on his face.

"Sis and Minato, please stop fighting. It's hard enough for someone such as myself of just getting done explaining to twelve people that they are in the Pure Land including the idea to accept their death in the living world. Suddenly, I come to see you guys scare about half the hospital off their wits because of your argument. DAMN IT! I can't take this anymore because it's going to tear me apart…" Tetsuya said as he got down on his knees and felt like he was about to cry.

"Me and Kushina are very sorry for causing a big scene here at the hospital." Minato stated clearly to the point where said it loudly that Ryou could hear it.

"Little brother, please don't lose sight of who you are because you had to do one of hardest things that not even I could have done. There will be times when you might face obstacles like this one again and don't let them bother you. I'm saying this as a loving and caring sister who wants to see her brother be happy." Kushina said as she was going to embrace Tetsuya.

Suddenly, a familiar face carrying a lunch box walked into the area of the dining hall where Tetsuya, Kushina, and Minato were located at. Then Kushina noticed that it was Yuki who just entered the dining hall. She nudged Minato to walk away so they can give Yuki and Tetsuya some space for a moment.

"Sweetheart…. what are you doing here? I thought you had to work today because of that one co-worker of yours being on sick leave." Tetsuya said with a sad look on his face.

"Well my boss found out about our rescue story that he let me off work earlier than I was supposed to and before I left the noodle shop is when that co-worker who had been sick leave showed up telling my boss that they would be returning to work tomorrow. This was when my boss told me that my schedule was back to normal meaning that I officially now have the rest of this week off. Anyways, Ryou had sent a message about five minutes after I got off work telling me that you were here with Minato and that was when I came straight here instead of heading to the apartment, my love." Yuki replied as she placed her hand on top of Tetsuya's hand.

"You must have heard my little nervous breakdown just a little while ago. I'm sorry that you had to hear all of that, sweetheart." Tetsuya said as he was about to hug Yuki.

"It's ok, my love. I didn't know that you had to be the one to tell the twelve people we rescued last night about them being up here in the Pure Land and having to accept their deaths in the living world. I can see that the entire situation is bothering you in some way. Tell me what is wrong." Yuki stated with an encouraging look on her face.

"To tell you the truth right after I told Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Haruka, Sasami, Kanata, Mio, and Kurugaya everything about the Pure Land. There was a bit of sadness that came into my heart because they looked to be the exact same age as Naruto was when I first came up here and that is what had been bothering me, sweetheart." Tetsuya stated with a sigh under his breath.

"I understand very completely, my love. But don't let something that reminds you of how old our nephew was when you came up here bother you." Yuki said right as she put her other hand on Tetsuya's face.

"Thank you for cheering me up, sweetheart. If you want to meet the people that we rescued last night they are in the conference room. However, Ryou and the nurses are still in there due to Kushina and Minato's little fiasco that I am going to have them leave the room before you can come in there to meet Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Haruka, Kanata, Mio, Kurugaya, and Sasami." Tetsuya stated after he gave Yuki a passionate kiss.

Then Yuki had walked up to Kushina and Minato in which she told them that everything is alright between her and Tetsuya. However, Minato notices that Tetsuya was going back into the conference room. This is when Yuki explained to Minato and Kushina about what Tetsuya had told her upon patching up what had been bothering him. "_That was why Tetsuya originally brought me along with him today. Tetsuya wanted me to see the people that he and Yuki with the guidance of Tsunade and Dan rescued last night. Hmmm…."_ Minato thought to himself with a smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya walked back into the conference room assuring Ryou and the nurses that the calamity was over. Right as he was about get another cup to fill it with water, Tetsuya remembered to tell Ryou that he was requesting a little more time to use the conference room in which she and the nurses accepted before they stepped out of the room.

"Tetsuya, was it. That is a pretty ring you have on your finger." Komari said in a calm tone which the other girls nodded their heads.

"Why thank you for the compliment. This ring represents my enteral pledge to a scared bond with the one person that is my true love and ultimate best friend. That's right it is a wedding ring." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face getting ready to signal Yuki to come into the conference room.

Yuki once she saw Tetsuya's signal started to feel a little nervous. Tetsuya realized this when Yuki entered the conference room and knew he needed to do something to make Yuki comfortable around everyone that was in the room.

"I would like you guys to meet one of the other brave people that rescued you last night." Tetsuya stated with a smile on his face and patted Yuki's shoulder assuring her that everything was going to be ok.

"My name is Yuki Uzumaki and I am Tetsuya's wife. Like Tetsuya said, I had also helped in rescuing all of you guys last night. It's nice to meet you Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Haruka, Kanata, Mio, Sasami, and Kurugaya. The reason I know your names is because there were name tags on you guys when we pulled you out of the bus wreck and I began to memorize them." Yuki said with a smile on her face.

"It's nice to meet you, Yuki. On behalf of my friends and sister, we would like to thank you, Tetsuya and anyone else that rescued us from the bus wreck." Kyousuke said with a calm tone.

"You're welcome, Kyousuke. Seems like you want to ask me something." Tetsuya said while Yuki nodded to accept Kyousuke's statement.

Kyousuke had briefly looked at Rin with a smile on his face and then turned his attention back to Tetsuya; but not before getting hissed like a cat by Rin which did not bother Kyousuke at all. Tetsuya looked at the sight with a grin on his face which surprised everybody in the room except Yuki. However, Yuki looked out of the conference room just for a second to notice that Minato and Kushina had headed to the bathroom but she told Tetsuya in secret about what she saw.

"I was wondering now looking back to when you mentioned about the bond between siblings grows stronger when they become a part of your friendships and it had me wanting to ask you this, Tetsuya. Do you have any siblings?" Kyousuke asked with a curious look on his face.

"Yes, I have one sister and one brother-in-law. They mean absolutely everything to me just like Yuki here; but when we are all together it's like how you guys are right here: an inseparable team." Tetsuya replied with an honest tone.

"Were they the ones that caused the loud ruckus earlier?" Kengo asked with a sigh under his breath.

"Yes, that was my sister and brother-in-law. Well I think it's time for the nurses to come take you guys back to your rooms." Tetsuya replied before signaling Ryou and the nurses to come into the conference room.

Ryou and the nurses then came into the conference room to escort Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata back to their rooms. However, Tetsuya had been approached by Ryou who came back into the conference room to give him a piece of paper which had the number of days left until the hospital can release Riki and the others; he realized upon looking at the number on the paper very carefully that this required immediate attention and placed the paper in his pocket.

Tetsuya noticed that Yuki wasn't standing right next to him in which caused him to worry until he saw her conversing with Minato and Kushina outside of the conference room. This let a sigh of relief come out of Tetsuya's breath as he got closer to where Yuki, Minato, and Kushina were.

"My love, we forgot about something very important. Let me guess you deleted the reminders off your phone before the rescue mission yesterday. Hmm…. Luckily Kushina had reminded me about what we had to do to today before you had to do this errand or whatever you want to call it." Yuki said while giving Tetsuya a glare.

"Humph…...little brother, have you forgotten that today is the day when Yumi comes home from her extended visit with Naruto and Hinata. Just what kind of father would forget about his own daughter's homecoming…..." Kushina stated with a smirk on her face.

"Tetsuya wait a minute. Where are you going?" Minato asked with a worried look on his face after noticing a change in Tetsuya's facial expression.

"I'm going outside to get some fresh air and away from here. By the way, I did not forget that today was the day that Yumi comes home from her trip and there's one more thing. SIS, DON'T YOU EVEN DARE TO ATTEMPT TO EVER QUESTION WHAT KIND OF FATHER I AM TO MY OWN CHILD." Tetsuya replied as he clenched his fist while storming off to the hospital exit.

"YOU'RE SERIOUSLY LOOKING FOR A FIGHT AREN'T YOU, LITTLE BROTHER. OK THAT'S IT." Kushina screamed at Tetsuya and immediately went after him.

"Oh no… this is very bad. Come on, Yuki. We have to go now before things can get a lot worse despite that we are still on the hospital grounds." Minato said to Yuki in a calm voice.

Yuki followed Minato even though she was feeling very scared about the outbursts that Tetsuya and Kushina gave. While running through the hospital hallways, Minato stopped for a brief second to see from a window that a rainstorm was forming in the Pure Land sky. "_I hope they didn't get too far._" Minato thought to himself as he and Yuki were still in pursuit for Tetsuya and Kushina.

Once they got to the main lobby of the hospital, Yuki and Minato were approached by Ryou.

"If you were looking for Tetsuya and Kushina. Well they had went to the park which is behind the hospital. I could tell something wasn't right when Tetsuya came through here and Kushina had chased him away to the park." Ryou said with a sigh under her breath.

"Yuki, let me handle Tetsuya and Kushina. You should go to the train station to get Yumi and head straight to your parents after picking her up. I know that you wanted Tetsuya to come with you to pick up Yumi; but it's the only way to keep you safe from any fighting with Kushina just like that time we went to the Sacred Estate before Tetsuya proposed to you." Minato said with a smile on his face while directly looking at Yuki.

"Minato, will you promise to have Tetsuya call me once he comes to his senses. Thank you for being such a great brother-in-law." Yuki said with a calm look on her face right before leaving the hospital.

Minato nodded his head to Yuki's statement while watching Yuki leave the hospital; he then proceeded to have his attention toward Ryou who wanted to escort him to the doors which led to the park where Tetsuya and Kushina had ran off to. While escorting Minato to the park doors, Ryou noticed that some familiar patients had decided to look out of their windows and she decided to investigate one of the rooms. The room that Ryou entered was Komari, Kud, and Rin's room.

Ryou noticed that Komari, Kud, and Rin were all shaking up in fear despite that they were looking out at the window. Suddenly, Kud was starting to cry profusely while Komari and Rin were trying to comfort her. This is when Ryou directly looked at Kud with a very concerned look on her face.

"What's the matter, Kud? I can help out since I'm one of the nurses that works here." Ryou asked in a very caring tone.

"It's…...what I saw out that window is scary. Please…...make….it…. stop." Kud replied with tears still dripping down her face.

"Alright, I'll check out the window." Ryou said while wiping off the tears in Kud's face.

Komari, Kud, and Rin went back to their beds while Ryou was looking out the window. Then Ryou became shocked at what she saw through the window and looked at the three girls that were in the room with the same look. "_Now I understand why Komari, Kud, and Rin were acting the way they were when I first walked into the room. Those windows are looking towards the park that Tetsuya and Kushina were storming off to. This is just like the fight that occurred during that trip I had gone with Tetsuya right before he and Yuki got engaged. Oh no…._" Ryou thought to herself after regaining her composure.

"What is it, nurse?" Komari asked in a stuttering voice.

"Oh, it's nothing really just rest up in the beds." Ryou replied as she was writing her name as the nurse that was going to be take care of Komari, Kud, and Rin.

Then Ryou walked out of the room to see that Minato had been standing in the hallway waiting for her patiently. So, Minato proceeded to follow Ryou as she finished escorting him to the doors that led to the park. Once they opened the doors, Minato thanked Ryou before he stepped foot into the park to begin his search for Tetsuya and Kushina.

Minato walked very precariously despite that he was getting soaked from the rainstorm and looked around for a short while until he saw two figures standing in the center of the park. "_It's them. That's Tetsuya and Kushina. Oh great. They really did turn this into a physical fight. I've got to hurry and stop this._" Minato thought to himself as he hurried to where Tetsuya and Kushina were at.

"Come…on. Is that all you've…. got…. Sis?" Tetsuya asked while all bloodied and bruised.

"No, I've got a lot more left little brother. Here it…. comes." Kushina replied all bloodied and bruised.

Just as Kushina was about to strike Tetsuya with a potentially devastating blow; Minato showed up in the nick of time to block Kushina's fist with his bare hand.

"Tetsuya, Kushina. Your fight was seen through by some of the hospital windows over there. I can't believe that you guys fought over because of bad moods and assumptions. Am I right?" Minato said with a sigh underneath his breath.

"Yes, Minato." Tetsuya and Kushina replied in unison.

"I'm sorry for questioning the kind of father you are to my niece, little brother. Will you forgive me?" Kushina stated with a smile on her bruised face.

"I forgive you, Sis. I'm sorry for having this fight with you." Tetsuya replied as he embraced Kushina in his arms.

While Tetsuya and Kushina embraced each other with open arms, Minato received a message on his phone from Yuki that she had just picked up Yumi from the train station and was on her way to the bakery. "_Oh, that's right. I've got to tell Tetsuya to call Yuki since he's starting to come out of his senses._" Minato thought to himself as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"Um…. Tetsuya, I think you should call Yuki before we leave the hospital." Minato stated as he placed his hand on Tetsuya's non-bruised shoulder.

"Ok, I will. It's going to be hard to imagine how my daughter is going to react when she sees me like this, you know." Tetsuya said with a sigh underneath his breath.

Then Tetsuya, Minato, and Kushina all went back inside the hospital through the doors that Minato had originally came out of. Ryou comes into Tetsuya, Minato, and Kushina's direction with a medical kit to bandage up both Tetsuya and Kushina.

Tetsuya and Kushina apologized to Ryou for anyone who saw their fight through the windows facing the park. Ryou nodded her head as she was about to head into Komari, Kud, and Rin's room. "_Thank you, Ryou. I will do my best to get the special arrangements for Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kanata, Haruka, Kurugaya, Mio, and Sasami taken care of before their release from the hospital._" Tetsuya thought to himself with a smile on his now bandaged up face. A few seconds later, Tetsuya pulled out his cell phone while walking down the hospital hallway and proceeded to dial Yuki's number.

"Hello, Yuki." Tetsuya said once the phone call went through.

"Hello, my love. So, Minato did relay the message for you to call me after all. I want you to know that I have already picked up Yumi from the train station and we are at the bakery now. Yumi was a little upset that you weren't there when I got her from the train station but I told her that you would see her today as a solemn promise." Yuki replied on her end of the phone conversation.

"I see. Anyways, listen to me for a quick second. I'm leaving the hospital at this very moment. Could you and Yumi be on the playground across from the bakery in like thirty minutes?" Tetsuya asked on his part of the phone call and while he was on the main lobby of the hospital.

"Sure thing. We will see you then. I love you." Yuki stated as she ended the phone conversation.

Tetsuya uttered those last words before he placed his cell phone in his pocket. Tetsuya proceeded to wish a good-bye to Kushina and Minato; but not before realizing that Minato had asked Yuki to flee from the hospital during the fight for her safety in which he thanked him for that.

Meanwhile, Yuki was in the bakery with Shia and Yumi looked through some of the things Yumi got on her trip; that was until Yosaki and Shiznae decided to look as well but one of their alarm clocks went off. This caused Yuki to remember that she and Yumi was supposed to be out in the playground waiting for Tetsuya.

Tetsuya had made it to the playground finding his spot on the bench to sit in since he saw that Yuki and Yumi had not come out of the bakery yet. Once he saw the bakery door being opened, Tetsuya got up from his bench spot and walked towards the center of the playground. Then Tetsuya notices a short red-haired girl coming towards him with tears in her eyes and realized that it's Yumi.

"Daddy…...how come you weren't there with Mommy to pick me up from the train station? Did you forget that today is when I come home from visiting cousin Naruto and Hinata?" Yumi asked with tears in her eyes.

"Sweetie, I did not forget that you were coming home today it was that Daddy had to do an important errand at the hospital today. I was planning on coming with Mommy to pick you up from the train station but your Aunt Kushina and I got into a bad fight as you can tell by my band-aids. But everything's ok now between me and your aunt which is all thanks to your uncle. I'm sorry that I let you down." Tetsuya replied with a calm look on his face to Yumi as Yuki got closer to where they were standing.

"It's ok, Daddy. I'm happy to be back home with you and Mommy." Yumi stated as she proceeded to hug Tetsuya who had a tear in his eye.

"We're happy to have you back home as well, sweetheart. Do you want to show Daddy the things you got on your trip now or later?" Yuki asked with a smile on her face.

"Mommy, I want to show Daddy the things from the trip later. Can we get my bag from Saki and Shiza's so we can go home?" Yumi replied in a calm tone.

"Alright, sweetie. Ok now remember ask them politely to get your things." Yuki and Tetsuya replied in unison.

Yumi nodded her head as she went back to the bakery to grab her suitcase. As they were waiting for Yumi to come out of the bakery; Tetsuya felt the swelling of his bruises had dwindled down and Yuki started to peel off Tetsuya's bandages. Then Yuki disposed the bandages in the nearest trash bin and by the time she made it back to Tetsuya's direction Yumi was already there with her suitcase in hand.

That was when Tetsuya, Yuki, and Yumi all left the playground in the direction for the apartment.

Once they had made it to the apartment, Tetsuya proceeded to head straight for the living room while Yuki and Yumi went to Yumi's room to unpack her suitcase. "_I'm glad that my sweet little Yumi is back home. I wonder if she knows about the story of the rescue mission. Let's not get way too ahead of ourselves here._" Tetsuya thought to himself as he was unwinding on the sofa and gradually closing his eyes.

"Are you taking a nap, Daddy?" Yumi asked once she walked into the living room.

"Not really, sweetie. Did you finish unpacking your suitcase and had Mommy double-check to make sure everything was put away neatly?" Tetsuya replied as he opened his eyes and sat back up on the sofa.

"Yes, Daddy. Oh, Mommy wanted me to tell you that she was going to make dinner tonight. Uhh…" Yumi replied with a calm look on her face.

"What is it, sweetie?" Tetsuya asked with a very concerned look on his face.

"I was told a story from a person once I got off the train station that you and Mommy were heroes in rescuing people from a forest on a very steep cliffside. Is it true, Daddy?" Yumi replied without any hesitation in her little voice.

"Yes, that story is true and it happened yesterday. Well to tell you the truth, me and Mommy were guided along the way in the rescue by Daddy's mentor and senpai. I know you must be very proud of me and your mom." Tetsuya replied as he rubbed on Yumi's little head with a smile on his face.

Yumi with a smile on her face proceeded to give Tetsuya a hug and nodded her head while in the hug. Yuki who had overheard last portion of Tetsuya and Yumi's conversation came into the living room with a gleeful look on her face.

"I'm happy that you're proud of what me and Daddy did, sweetie. It shows how truly blessed we are to have such a very appreciative and loving daughter." Yuki stated as she was going to sit right next to Tetsuya.

"Mommy…..." Yumi stated as she was about to hug Yuki with tears starting to build in her eyes.

"It's ok, sweetheart. How about you show me the things that you got from your trip?" Tetsuya stated as he wiped the tears off Yumi's face and rubbed her hair with a smile on his face.

"Ok, Daddy." Yumi replied as she was about to head to her bedroom.

"Well I better get dinner started then, my love. Remind Yumi about…..." Yuki stated in a calm tone.

"Don't worry, Yuki. I will remind Yumi to not make a big mess in the living room, ok." Tetsuya said right before he gave Yuki a kiss on the forehead.

Yuki proceeded to head into the kitchen trying to find something to make a decent dinner out of in honor of Yumi's homecoming. "_Let me see if I can find the rice cooker. Steamed vegetables, sliced chicken and cooked rice for dinner. That's not a bad idea._" Yuki thought to herself once she was in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya was organizing the books that were on the living room table until Yumi had returned with a big bag. Before Yumi could pull anything from the bag, a knock was heard on the apartment door in which Tetsuya proceeded to see who it was. Noticing that it was Minato and Kushina standing there so Tetsuya smiled as he opened the door. Suddenly, Yumi came running towards Tetsuya's direction.

"Uncle Minato, Aunt Kushina." Yumi stated as she hugged Minato and Kushina prospectively before she headed back to the living room.

"Seems like Yumi's in high spirits about something, little brother." Kushina said with a smile on her swollen down face.

"Well she found about the rescue story from some random person at the train station today and I told her that it was true. Immediately, I just knew that Yumi was proud of me and Yuki being heroes. Oh, if you were looking for Yuki, she's in the kitchen, Sis." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

Kushina calmly then walked to the kitchen to find Yuki in the middle of cooking dinner. However, Yuki turned around to see that Kushina was standing a few feet in front of her.

"Hi, Kushina. I thought I heard voices other than Tetsuya and Yumi's." Yuki asked in a calm tone.

"I came here to apologize about what happened back at the hospital between me and Tetsuya. Yuki, it's all my fault for causing Tetsuya to come back to you and Yumi all bruised up. If I would have woken up in a good mood today then all the bad stuff I caused would not have happened. I'm very sorry, you know." Kushina stated in a very sympathetic tone.

"I accept your apology, Kushina." Yuki said with a smile on her face.

Kushina started to have tears in her eyes right as she hugged Yuki while Tetsuya, Minato, and Yumi watched from the living room. Suddenly, Yuki wiped the tears off Kushina's face and proceeded to continue making the special dinner.

"Can I please show off the things I got from the trip, Daddy?" Yumi asked Tetsuya once Kushina walked into the living room.

"Ok, sweetie. I think your aunt and uncle might love the things you brought back from your trip." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

"This is a scarf that cousin Hinata made for me, here's a photo album with pictures that were taken on the trip, a book that cousin Naruto gave me, and a cute souvenir I found at the gift shop at their train station." Yumi stated as she pulled the items out of the bag.

While Kushina and Minato were looking through the photo album, Tetsuya decided to take a glance at the book Yumi pulled out. "_This is impossible. It's the very same book that Jiraiya wrote when me, Minato, and Kushina were alive. So, he managed to write it up here in the Pure Land._" Tetsuya thought to himself with a look of shock on his face.

Kushina and Minato noticed Tetsuya's facial expression once they got done glancing through the photo album. Yuki who had finished making dinner noticed the facial expression as well and went into the living room. Tetsuya placed the book on the living room table and proceeded to look at Yumi.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Yumi asked with a concerned look on her face.

"It's that this book your cousin gave you holds a very special memory for me, your aunt, and your uncle." Tetsuya replied with a calm tone.

"Hmm…. Hmmm. Cousin Naruto told me all about how Uncle Minato named him after the main character in that book and with Aunt Kushina agreeing to it." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"Is that how Naruto really was named?" Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, Yuki. That is the truth." Tetsuya replied with an honest voice.

Kushina and Minato looked through the book together in which they couldn't believe it was the same book that Yumi was referring to.

"Aunt Kushina, Uncle Minato. If you want the book you can keep it that's why cousin Naruto gave it to me in the first place." Yumi stated with a smile on her face.

"That's very nice of our son to do that. Wouldn't you agree, Kushina?" Minato said while directly looking at Kushina.

"Yes, that was very nice of Naruto to give us the book, you know. Minato, I think we better get going since it's already dark outside." Kushina replied with a calm tone while holding the book in her hand.

"It was great to see our niece again and all of the things she got from her visit with Naruto. Anyways, we will see you guys later." Minato stated as he and Kushina were leaving the apartment.

Then Tetsuya, Yuki, and Yumi waved goodbye to Kushina and Minato before heading to the dining room so they could eat their dinner. While eating dinner, Tetsuya noticed that there was a piece of paper on the floor right next to his foot.

Upon picking up the piece of paper, Tetsuya glanced at it with a big smile on his face because he remembered it was the same paper Ryou had given him back at the hospital. Yuki and Yumi, who had finished their last bites of dinner looked at Tetsuya with curiosity.

"What is it, Tetsuya?" Yuki asked with the curious look still on her face.

"Well there are a couple of very important errands that I have to do tomorrow and you know what I am thinking. How about if Yumi comes along with me?" Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face once he got done finishing his dinner.

"I think that would be great, Tetsuya. Are you feeling a bit tired, sweetheart?" Yuki replied with a smile on her face.

"Yes, I'm starting to feel tired, Mommy." Yumi replied as she gave a yawn.

"Ok, you can get ready for bed. Since you told me you took a bath at your cousin's this morning." Yuki said with a calm tone.

Yumi headed off to her bedroom but not before kissing both Yuki and Tetsuya on the cheek. Then Tetsuya proceeded to clean up the dinner dishes while Yuki went to the living room.

Once Tetsuya finished cleaning the dinner dishes, he took a spot right next to Yuki in the living room and they started to look through the photo album that Yumi brought back from her trip. About midway through looking at the photo album, Tetsuya had a big smile on his face and it didn't take long for Yuki to have the same reaction on her face. "_It looked like our sweet little Yumi had a wonderful time on her trip to visit Naruto and Hinata. Also, this appears that all of Naruto's closest peers I had met long ago are now in the Pure Land based on the pictures Yumi took._" Tetsuya thought to himself while he and Yuki were finishing up looking at the photo album.

"What is it, Tetsuya, my love?" Yuki asked with a curious look on her face as she placed the photo album in a special drawer located in the far corner of the living room.

"It's the fact that I'm happy that our daughter had a great time on her trip, you know." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

"Ok, I don't know about you but I am heading off to bed." Yuki said with a loud yawn.

"Alright. Good night, I love you." Tetsuya said as he gave Yuki a good-night kiss.

Once Yuki headed into the direction of her and Tetsuya's bedroom, she decided to leave Yumi's bedroom door open just a little crack. "_Good night, my sweet little Yumi. Mommy loves you with all of her heart._" Yuki thought to herself with a smile on her face as she walked past Yumi's bedroom door.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya was sitting on the sofa reading a book until he saw Yumi looking very scared walking down the hallway coming to the living room.

"Yumi, sweetie. What's the matter?" Tetsuya asked with a very concerned look on his face.

"Daddy, I had a very bad dream and I'm scared." Yumi replied with a trembled look on her face.

"It's going to be ok, sweetie. Would it make you feel better if you slept with me and Mommy tonight?" Tetsuya asked as he embraced Yumi in his arms.

Yumi nodded her head and held onto Tetsuya's hand as they went to Tetsuya and Yuki's bedroom. Once they made it to the bedroom, Tetsuya and Yumi noticed that Yuki was barely asleep. Realizing that he still needed to take a shower, Tetsuya grabbed his nightwear and headed to the bathroom while quietly telling Yumi to go in the middle of the bed so she could sleep safely.

"Yumi…sweetheart. How come you aren't in your own bed?" Yuki asked while she had her eyes closed.

"I had a really bad dream and went to Daddy. He suggested that I sleep here with you and him to make me feel better, Mommy." Yumi replied in a trembled voice.

"I understand, sweetheart. Let's get some sleep." Yuki stated right before she fell fast asleep.

"Alright, Mommy." Yumi said right as she fell fast asleep.


	4. A Special Day with Father-Daughter

The following morning, Tetsuya got up to see that Yumi and Yuki were already in the dining room getting ready to serve breakfast. After Tetsuya gave Yumi and Yuki a good morning kiss, he proceeded to take a seat in the dining room.

"Are you excited to have a daddy-daughter outing today, sweetheart?" Yuki asked Yumi while she, Tetsuya, and Yumi were eating breakfast.

"Yes, Mommy. I sure am." Yumi replied with a joyous look on her face.

Tetsuya had a smile on his face when he heard Yumi's response and proceeded to finish eating his breakfast. Once he got done with breakfast, Tetsuya went to the bedroom so he could get changed out of his nightwear.

By the time Tetsuya had made it to the living room all dressed and ready for the day, Yumi was in the living room waiting for him. Then Yuki came into the living room to sit right next to Tetsuya who was getting on his shoes. Before Tetsuya got up from the sofa, Yuki handed him his cell phone which was on her side of the sofa.

"Have a good time and please be careful out there today. I love you guys." Yuki said to both Tetsuya and Yumi before they left the apartment.

"Ok, Mommy. I will promise to be careful and not cause any trouble for Daddy. I love you too." Yumi said as she gave a goodbye hug to Yuki before stepping out of the apartment.

"Don't worry, Yuki. I will make sure Yumi doesn't get into any trouble while I do my errands and our bonding time today. Well see you when we return and I love you." Tetsuya said right as he gave Yuki a goodbye kiss.

So, Tetsuya stepped out of the apartment to see Yumi standing there patiently underneath the mailbox. Once they were a block away from the apartment, Yumi had a curious look on her face towards Tetsuya.

"What are we going to do today, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of plain curiosity.

"You remember the academy where I first met Mommy, Kyou-sensei, and Ryou at. Well there's something very special that I must take care of over there. Then there's a listing place that we are going to head towards once the business at the academy is dealt with. Once those errands are all done with we can do whatever you want to do, sweetie." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

"Ok, Daddy." Yumi said with a calm voice.

On the way to the academy, Yumi started to admire the beauty of the cherry blossom trees while Tetsuya looked on in pure amazement. Then the entrance way to the academy was in sight and Tetsuya noticed that there was no one strolling around the entrance gate. "_Wait a minute. The academy offices should still be open today despite the fact there are no students roaming around the grounds._" Tetsuya thought to himself as he grabbed Yumi's hand and walked to the main building of the academy.

Upon entering the academy's main building, Tetsuya and Yumi walked to the first door on the far left which had the words "administrative offices" labeled on it. Tetsuya let Yumi open the door since it appeared that someone had waved for them come into the offices.

"Well if it isn't one of the academy's great alumnus, Tetsuya Uzumaki and who's the little girl you have with you." The academy's secretary stated once Tetsuya and Yumi entered the offices.

"Oh, she's my daughter and her name is Yumi." Tetsuya said with a calm tone.

"Nice to meet you, Yumi. So, what brings you guys here today at the academy?" The secretary said in a calm tone after shaking Yumi's hand.

"I was wanting to see if the headmaster was here because I need to discuss something very important with him." Tetsuya replied with an honest tone.

"Hmm…let me see if the headmaster's busy." The secretary stated as she proceeded to walk to the headmaster's office.

Tetsuya and Yumi took a seat while waiting for the secretary to return. A few seconds later, the secretary had waved her hand out signaling Tetsuya that the headmaster wasn't busy. Yumi decided to read a couple of nearby magazines while Tetsuya went on ahead to the headmaster's office.

Then Tetsuya took a seat directly across from the headmaster upon entering the office with a calm look on his face.

"It's a surprise to see you here, Tetsuya. I hear that you and Yuki rescued a few people from a cliffside a couple of days ago. Quite an accomplishment especially coming from two of this academy's fine alumnus. So, what is it that you wanted to see me for?" The headmaster stated after shaking Tetsuya's hand.

"Why thank you, headmaster. The reason I wanted to see you was actually pertaining to that. Because the people that me and Yuki rescued had just come up here to the afterlife. Yesterday at hospital when I done explaining to them where they are; Ryou had given me a piece of paper showing me that the hospital was going to release them tomorrow. Basically, I want to know if you could accept the people that me and Yuki rescued into the academy." Tetsuya replied with a calm tone.

"I see, Tetsuya. You know what I will accept them into the academy. Oh, what are their names so I can have the secretary put them into the academy files later?" The headmaster stated with a smile on his face.

"The names are as follows: Riki Naoe, Rin Natsume, Kyousuke Natsume, Masato Inohara, Kengo Miyazawa, Komari Kamikita, Haruka Saigusa, Kud Noumi, Kanata Futaki, Sasami Sasasegawa, Mio Nishizono, and Yuiko Kurugaya." Tetsuya answered with a smile on his face.

"Those are some quite interesting names. It will be great to see some new faces here at the academy when classes start back up a week from today. Just like how it was many years ago when I first met you, Tetsuya." The headmaster said as he was jotting down the names on a piece of paper.

"Times have sure changed, headmaster. Anyways I better going since my daughter is sitting at the secretary's office probably waiting for me." Tetsuya stated right as he shook the hand of the headmaster.

"Have a great day, Tetsuya." The headmaster said waving goodbye to Tetsuya.

Tetsuya left the headmaster's office with a smile on his face and noticed that Yumi was putting away the magazines she had read. When Yumi saw that Tetsuya was in the secretary's office, she grabbed onto his arm and they proceeded to leave the academy. While on the way to the listing place which was in the shopping district, Yumi's stomach started to growl.

"Is there any place special that you want to eat for lunch, sweetie? Besides the listing place we are going to will be open for much of the day so we don't have to be in a big hurry." Tetsuya said upon hearing Yumi's stomach growl.

"How about the hamburger place that's in the middle of the shopping district, Daddy?" Yumi answered with a smile on her face.

"Ok, sweetie. That is perfect since the hamburger place is located right across the street from the listing place." Tetsuya replied while he gently rubbed Yumi's head.

Tetsuya and Yumi made it to the shopping district right as the lunch rush had dwindled down. The hamburger place that Yumi wanted to eat at didn't seem to be busy at all despite the time of day it was by the time Tetsuya and Yumi stepped inside. After taking their seats at a table and placing their orders, Tetsuya noticed the big smile that Yumi was giving him.

"Daddy, I had a great time on my trip at cousin Naruto and Hinata's. I got to meet some of their friends while I was over there and they were very nice to me. Naruto made sure that no one would hurt me anywhere on the places that he and Hinata took me to. I also had some deep talks with Naruto, Hinata, and their friends which they didn't mind at all." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"I'm very glad that you had a wonderful time on your trip, sweetie. I have to thank your cousin for letting you visit." Tetsuya said with a calm look on his face while he and Yumi were still waiting on their lunch orders.

"Don't worry, Daddy. Naruto told me right before I got on the train yesterday that he, Hinata, and their friends are planning to come down here for a visit in a couple of days. I'm surprised Mommy didn't tell you since I told her about this while we were on our way to the bakery from the train station." Yumi said with a calm look on her face.

"Does your Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato know about this?" Tetsuya asked with a curious look on his face.

"Yes, Daddy. Since they are going to be the ones giving Naruto and Hinata's friends the tour of our area." Yumi replied with a calm tone.

"I have one more question before our food shows up, sweetie. Despite that I looked at your photo album last night which had the picture of Naruto and Hinata's friends. It's been a very long time since I last saw them could you tell me the names? I'm sorry just that Daddy's sometimes a little forgetful." Tetsuya asked Yumi while noticing the waiter was nearly coming with his and Yumi's food.

"Ok if you say so, Daddy. The names are as follows: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Uchiha (Haruno), Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Shino Abirame, Kiba Inuzuka, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji Hyuga." Yumi replied with a smile on her face.

Then the food orders came to Tetsuya and Yumi right as they were adjusting their seats. So, Tetsuya and Yumi proceeded to eat their lunch which turned out to be alright.

Once they left the hamburger place is when Tetsuya and Yumi headed straight for the listing place. Upon entering the listing place, Tetsuya with Yumi right by his side notices that it's not as busy and looked for a representative who could help him out. "_Hmm…this is exactly the way it was when I had helped Minato found his and Kushina's house a few years ago. I mean with how empty this place is and all._" Tetsuya thought to himself until he saw a representative in the very back motioning him to come on over.

"Hello, sir. How may I help you?" The representative asked once Tetsuya made it to his office space.

"I was wondering if you had any listings available for any apartments in the area." Tetsuya answered in a calm tone.

"Hmm…. let me see. Ah, there are three empty apartments available which they are all in the same complex and it's located about four blocks north of the academy." The representative stated while giving Tetsuya the brochure with the apartments.

"Yes, these apartments are perfect. I'll take them." Tetsuya stated with a smile on his face upon glancing at the brochures.

"Here are the keys to those apartments and just sign the contract here." The representative stated as he handed a bag containing three sets of keys to Tetsuya and the contract in which Tetsuya immediately signed.

Then Tetsuya with the bag which held the sets of keys in his hand placed it in his pocket after shaking the hand of the representative and thanking him in the process. So, Tetsuya proceeded to leave the listing place with Yumi who had been standing at the front section the entire time.

Once they found an empty bench to sit on, Tetsuya notices that Yumi was looking up at the sky with a peculiar look on her face.

"Yumi, sweetie, I'm sorry if my errands took up most of our bonding day. I know there isn't much time left for us to do anything else before we should head back home." Tetsuya stated in an apologetic tone.

"It's ok, Daddy. I had a great time hanging out with you today. If you don't mind me asking, what was the purpose behind those errands?" Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"Well you remember the rescue story two days ago that me and Mommy were involved in. You see the people that were rescued had just entered the Pure Land from the living world. I felt like it was my responsibility to get them adjusted to being here with finding them decent housing and enrolling them in the academy immediately just like how it was when I first came up here." Tetsuya answered while patting Yumi's head.

"Daddy, I want to help out people just like you. But I'm scared that someone might not like me for doing so." Yumi stated with a gloomy look on her face.

Tetsuya started to have a tear drop down his face while he and Yumi got up from the bench.

"Sweetie, it's ok to feel a bit scared the first time when you help out somebody. To tell you the truth, I felt the same way when I was about your age. Do you want to know how I overcame that feeling?" Tetsuya stated in a calm tone.

"Sure, Daddy." Yumi answered with a little smile coming on her face.

"I overcame the fear of helping out people after hearing high praises they gave me for helping them out. It makes you feel happy right here in your heart, sweetie. That's the most important thing I want you to remember about helping people out. Even if someone doesn't like you helping them out at first but eventually they will begin to appreciate what you will do for them." Tetsuya said as he touched Yumi's heart.

Yumi smiled big upon hearing Tetsuya's statement and held onto his left hand tightly. "_Oh, I better send Ryou a message about the apartments and the academy situation regarding Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata. Since I now have to worry about the apartment situation with those guys because the keys to those apartments are in my pocket._" Tetsuya thought to himself while he was pulling out his cell phone.

Once Tetsuya sent the message to Ryou on his phone regarding the academy and apartment situations; he put the phone back in his pocket and got up from the bench with Yumi right by his side. As they were leaving the shopping district in the direction for the apartment, Tetsuya notices that Yumi wanted to say something.

"Daddy, can we stop by Saki and Shiza's please?" Yumi asked Tetsuya in a pleading tone.

"Alright, sweetie. Remember to be on your best behavior while we are over there ok." Tetsuya answered with a smile on his face.

Yumi nodded her head as she and Tetsuya walked towards the street that the Sakagami Bakery was on. While on the way to the bakery, Tetsuya got a reply message from Ryou indicating that she wanted him to be at the apartments early in the morning and he answered back with an ok message. "_So, the hospital wants them out of there the sooner the better. Well that's a good thing I did those errands today and notified Ryou about it immediately. Oh, blimey this means I should do something about work tomorrow. It's a good thing we are heading to the bakery so I can figure that situation out right away._" Tetsuya thought to himself after putting his phone away.

Once they made it to the bakery, Tetsuya and Yumi saw a familiar face standing there at the entrance.

"Hello, sweetheart. Hello, Tetsuya." Yuki stated with a smile on her face.

"Mommy!" Yumi said as she hugged Yuki.

"Hello, Yuki. What brings you here?" Tetsuya stated after giving Yuki a hug and kiss.

"Well yesterday while me and Yumi were waiting for you to show up my parents invited all of us to have dinner here at the bakery tonight. Yumi, could you go see if Shiza needs any help with dinner preparations." Yuki answered with a calm voice.

Yumi nodded her head as she went inside and did exactly what Yuki asked her to do without any complaining. Then Tetsuya had a concerned look on his face which caught Yuki's attention.

"What is it, Tetsuya? It looks like something's bothering you." Yuki asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I am scared, Yuki." Tetsuya answered in an honest voice.

"What do you mean? I hope it is not the fact that Yumi might have told you about Naruto and Hinata coming back down here again this time bringing their friends." Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"No, it's not that, Yuki. I mean it must do with the fact that our daughter wants to be exactly like me." Tetsuya answered with a sad look on his face.

"Why is that a problem, Tetsuya? Isn't that what a child is supposed to do is one day to be like their mother or father." Yuki stated with a calm tone.

"It's because you never know if one-day Yumi helps out somebody and she could wind up getting seriously hurt because of it, Yuki. I just…don't want to see our daughter getting hurt and the fact that I was afraid this would happen." Tetsuya answered with an honest voice.

"Look I don't get why you are being so overprotective of Yumi. This is just like the other day when you were concerned about my safety before the rescue mission, Tetsuya. What is it with you…..." Yuki said with a calm tone.

"You have to understand something, Yuki. There's a lot more to helping people than what you realize a much harsher side to it. I have gone through on some occasions fear due to helping people out especially the ones that despised me the most and wanted to hurt me. Also, I have failed to help a few people out which resulted some of them coming up here in the Pure Land earlier than they were supposed to. Not forgetting that the sixteen years while in the living world I was in exile because of my greatest failure in protecting the people I cared about the most and abandoning my nephew. Therefore, I am afraid that Yumi would make a big mistake if she follows in my footsteps despite we are in the Pure Land." Tetsuya said with his head held down.

"Tetsuya, please. You just got to have faith in our daughter. I think the reason the why she wants to be like you is because she looks up to you. Come on let's go inside before Yumi wonders why we are still out here." Yuki stated after she gave Tetsuya a comforting hug.

Then Tetsuya and Yuki went inside the bakery to see that Yumi was standing in the hallway waiting on them.

"Mommy, Daddy, Shiza and Saki wanted me to tell you guys that dinner was done." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"Ok, sweetie." Tetsuya stated as he rubbed on Yumi's head.

With that Tetsuya, Yuki, and Yumi went into the bakery dining room where they proceeded to eat dinner with Yosaki, Shiznae, and Shia. The dinner had been a bowl of miso soup. Once everyone had finished up with their dinner, Shiznae had offered everyone a cup of tea.

Suddenly, Yuki decided to clean up the dinner dishes in the kitchen while Yumi and Shia went in there to help her out. Meanwhile, Tetsuya had a stumbled look on his face which caught Yosaki and Shiznae's attention.

"What is it, Tetsuya?" Yosaki asked out of curiosity.

"I was going to tell you guys that I might be a little bit late for work tomorrow. The reason is that I have a very important errand to do in the morning which is a few blocks north of the academy. I'm very sorry for saying this on short notice. I hope you guys understand." Tetsuya answered in a calm tone.

"Don't worry about it, Tetsuya. We totally understand. Right, Yosaki?" Shiznae said right as she was about to nudge Yosaki for dozing off.

Yosaki nodded his head to Shiznae's statement. Then Yuki and Yumi made it back to the dining room with the impression that they were ready to head back to the apartment. So, Tetsuya got up from his spot and walked towards his family with a smile on his face.

"I thought you were going to help out with the dishes, Yuki." Shiznae said with a calm look on her face.

"I was going to Mom but Shia offered to do them. Also, it's starting to get dark outside and I don't want Yumi staying up all night since tomorrow is her first day of school. Come along sweetheart." Yuki said with a calm voice while holding onto Yumi's hand.

"We understand, Yuki. Have a good day at school tomorrow, Yumi. See you guys later." Yosaki and Shiznae said in unison while waving their hands out to Tetsuya, Yuki, and Yumi.

While on their way back to the apartment, Tetsuya and Yuki notice that Yumi was starting to feel a bit worn out. That was when Yuki decided to put Yumi on her back. "_My two greatest adventures. I'm very happy to have them here and love them very dearly. It was very heartwarming to spend some quality time with my sweet daughter._" Tetsuya thought to himself with a smile on his face while looking at Yuki and Yumi.

Once they made it to the apartment, Yuki placed Yumi in her bedroom while she laid out her nightwear and Tetsuya went to the bathroom to prepare the bath for Yumi. Then Yuki proceeded to escort Yumi to the bathroom once the bathwater was filled up.

After a while, Yumi got out of the bath and went into the living room.

"Good night, Mommy. Good night, Daddy." Yumi said as she gave hugs to Tetsuya and Yuki before heading off to bed.

"Good night, sweetheart." Yuki said with a smile on her face.

"Good night, sweetie." Tetsuya stated with a smile on his face.

Suddenly, Tetsuya got up from the living room sofa and decided to pour himself a glass of water from the kitchen sink. Yuki felt very concerned had went into the kitchen to see if Tetsuya was alright.

"Are you ok, Tetsuya?" Yuki asked out of concern.

"Yes, I'm alright now. I was feeling light headed there for a second. But that glass of water helped it go away." Tetsuya answered with a calm look on his face.

"At least you're better now." Yuki said as she gently patted Tetsuya's shoulder with a smile on her face.

"I was wondering. Would you mind taking Yumi to school in the morning, Yuki?" Tetsuya asked with a calm look on his face.

"Of course, Tetsuya. Why did something come up? It's not that I'm mad or anything. Just trying to understand what is going on is all." Yuki answered with a curious look on her face.

"I have to do an urgent errand with Ryou first thing in the morning on the far north side of this area. Don't worry your parents already know and understand that I am be late for work because of it." Tetsuya answered with a sigh underneath his breath.

"That's understandable, Tetsuya, my love. Anyways, how did you handle the news of when Yumi told you that Naruto and Hinata were planning on coming back down here for a visit?" Yuki asked with a calm look on her face.

"I was a bit surprised to hear the news to tell you the truth, Yuki. It had me wondering at first if this was some secret to Minato and Kushina. I'm relieved that it isn't this time since I guess they knew about the visit idea long before we ever did. Despite that Yumi mentioned something regarding Naruto, Hinata, and their friend's arrival into the area being a couple of days from now. What day would that be around?" Tetsuya answered with a natural look on his face.

"The day after tomorrow, Tetsuya. I don't know about you but I am heading off to bed." Yuki answered with a yawn in her voice.


	5. Vision: A Warning from the Sage!

The following morning, Tetsuya got up real early and made Yumi's bento in which he placed it on the dining room table before leaving the apartment. "_Oh crap. Did I remember to grab the keys to those apartments?_" Tetsuya thought to himself while double checking his coat and pant pockets. Then a sigh of relief came when Tetsuya felt three sets of keys coming from one of his coat pockets.

While on the way to the apartments, Tetsuya gets a message from Ryou indicating that she would be a couple of minutes late. This gave Tetsuya some time to take a short detour. By the time he got done with the detour, Tetsuya notices that Ryou was right behind him.

"Oh, good morning, Tetsuya. I'm surprised that you're not at the apartments yet. The hospital vans are supposed to be there within the hour." Ryou stated with a sigh under her breath.

"Good morning, Ryou. I was heading straight for the apartments until I got your message. That is when I had the idea to take a quick detour so we could make sure everything was still on time." Tetsuya stated with a little nervous look on his face.

"Did you bring the keys?" Ryou asked once she and Tetsuya had reached the apartment complex.

"Yes, I brought all three sets." Tetsuya answered as he pulled the keys out from his coat pocket.

"Oh, the hospital vans are coming this way, Tetsuya. How do you think the apartment arrangements are going to be worked out?" Ryou said as she noticed three vans were coming on the same street as the apartment complex.

"Don't worry about it, Ryou. That is going to be decided among the group when they get out of the vans and see the apartments." Tetsuya answered with a sigh under his breath.

While Ryou went down to help the hospital staff that had driven the vans; Tetsuya took a glance at the apartment doors to see that there was a padded lock surrounding each door which had a scared symbol in the center of it. "_Wait a minute that's the symbol of the Pure Land Guardians, otherwise known as the sworn protectors of this scared place who are very loyal to and chosen by the Sage of the Six Paths. Fortunately, I am one of them so I better break off these locks before Ryou comes back._" Tetsuya thought to himself with a stunned look on his face as he was destroying the padded locks with his other hand.

Tetsuya then proceeded to kick the crumbled padded locks off the apartment complex balcony that landed straight into a trash can. Noticing that his hand was starting to bleed from shattering the locks, Tetsuya found a nearby napkin and began to bandage up his wound.

Ryou upon finishing signing the hospital release papers escorted Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata to where Tetsuya was standing.

"Hello Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata. It's nice to see you guys again. Are you guys ready to see your new home?" Tetsuya said while he was unlocking and gradually opening the doors to the apartments.

The group nodded their head in unison and divided up into three teams which took turns looking at each apartment. While that was going on, Ryou noticed the bandage that was on Tetsuya's hand.

"Tetsuya, are you feeling ok?" Ryou asked out of concern.

"I don't know, Ryou. As you could tell my hand is bandaged up due to me shattering some padded locks that were guarding the apartments here. I'm a bit anxious about the fact that my nephew and his wife are coming down here for a visit tomorrow with some of their friends. Also, I found out yesterday that Yumi wants to become one day exactly like me and gave her advice without hurting her feelings. It's because I don't want her to potentially make the same mistakes I made in the past. Yuki thinks I'm just overreacting about it and let Yumi follow her dreams." Tetsuya replied with his head down.

"So, Naruto and his wife are coming down for a visit. That's wonderful. I really enjoyed meeting them last time. Tetsuya, regarding what Yumi wants to aspire to be one day. Well I think is that you don't think Yumi is quite ready yet to become the type of person that you were long ago. Am I right?" Ryou asked with a calm voice.

"Yes, Ryou. Oh, it looks like they are done glancing through the apartments." Tetsuya answered right before noticing that Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata were outside.

It didn't take long for Ryou to see the same thing that Tetsuya did and began to wonder who would be taking up residence in the apartments. Then Kyousuke came walking to where Ryou and Tetsuya were standing with a calm look on his face.

"So, how did you think of the apartments?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"They were very spacious and nice overall. Also, while my friends and sister were looking at the apartments that was when we decided on residing arrangements. The first apartment is going to be occupied by myself, Riki, Kengo, and Masato. The second apartment would be occupied by Rin, Komari, Kud, and Kurugaya. Then the third apartment would be resided by Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata." Kyousuke answered with a calm tone.

"That's wonderful to hear, Kyousuke. Oh blimey, Tetsuya, your phone alarm's going off." Ryou said with a calm look on her face.

"Sorry about that. The alarm is to remind me that I must get to work soon." Tetsuya said once he turned off the alarm that was on his phone.

"I think you better get going now since you have such a far distance to walk from here to your work, Tetsuya." Ryou stated upon realizing how far it is from the Sakagami Bakery to the apartments.

"I suppose so, Ryou. It was nice seeing you guys again and enjoy your new apartments." Tetsuya said as he was walking away with a smile on his face and raising his hand up in the air.

Ryou and Kyousuke looked on before gathering the others into the middle apartment.

"Where does Tetsuya work at if you don't mind us asking?" Kyousuke asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, he works at a bakery just a few blocks south of here." Ryou answered with an honest tone.

"Yay, there's a place that does sell pastries." Komari, Kud, and Haruka said with excitement in their voices.

"You guys with your pastry obsession that's what it has been about ever since we left the hospital early this morning." Sasami said with a sigh under her breath.

"Well they can't help it that food is on their mind, Sasami." Rin said while giving Sasami a glare.

Realizing that things were about to turn for the worst, Ryou helped Rin and Sasami resolve their differences. However, Ryou noticed that the group was hungry and thought about walking down to the bakery in picking up some pastries.

"I'm heading out to get you guys some food for today. Sorry that I can't let you guys come along it's that you have not gotten a full tour of the entire region." Ryou stated right as she was about to step foot outside of the apartment door.

"Can't you and Tetsuya give us a tour of the region?" Kyousuke, Riki, and Rin asked in unison.

"Sure, we can do that for you. Umm…when do you guys want the region tour?" Ryou answered with a calm look on her face.

"Tomorrow." Rin answered before anybody in the group could speak.

Ryou nodded her head once she stepped out of the apartment and walked in the direction of the bakery. "_Oh dear, I know Tetsuya told me that his nephew was coming tomorrow. Now agreeing to giving a region tour to_ _Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata tomorrow how am I going to tell him about this._" Ryou thought about this while on the way to the bakery.

Meanwhile at the bakery, Tetsuya was near the end of a business rush before he noticed that Minato and Kushina entered the store. Once the last customer from the business rush left the bakery, Tetsuya turned his attention to Minato and Kushina.

"Hello, Sis and Minato. Are you guys feeling a bit nervous about tomorrow?" Tetsuya said while he was cleaning off the counter.

"Not really, little brother. We're just excited about seeing Naruto and Hinata again, you know. Also, getting to meet their friends for the first time and reuniting with Kakashi and Guy is going to be great." Kushina answered with a smile on her face.

"Well it's a great thing indeed, Tetsuya. By the way, what happened to your hand?" Minato asked upon noticing Tetsuya's bandaged hand.

"I banged it on something really hard this morning but everything's alright now." Tetsuya answered with a hesitant look on his face.

"I'm glad that your hand is better now, little brother. Would you mind putting these pastries in the bag for us?" Kushina stated once she placed a plate of pastries onto the counter.

Tetsuya nodded his head while putting the pastries that Kushina ordered for her and Minato into a bag. Upon giving the bag to Kushina, Tetsuya notices that Ryou had entered the bakery in which Kushina and Minato greeted her. Then Yosaki and Shiznae who had been in the back of the bakery walked up to the front to greet Minato, Kushina, and Ryou.

However, Tetsuya noticed that Ryou was picking up a very large amount of pastries and became suspicious about it. This surprised Yosaki and Shiznae about the order of pastries that Ryou wanted to get from the bakery while Minato and Kushina were confused on the situation. Suddenly, Ryou got a little nervous by the time she put the order on the counter.

"Hmm…I'm impressed that you ordered a lot of pastries, Ryou. I have a feeling you are doing it for _them_ and don't try to hide that fact from me. You must have mentioned something about the bakery regarding my involvement. Am I right?" Tetsuya said while he was placing Ryou's order in the place in the bag.

"Yes, Tetsuya. But there's something I want to tell you." Ryou answered as her nervousness was starting to fade away.

"What is it, Ryou?" Tetsuya asked with a sigh under his breath.

"I know you told me that your nephew was coming down tomorrow. Well the group that this pastry order is mainly for requested a tour of the entire region to be set for tomorrow and I agreed to their terms with us being the tour guides." Ryou answered with an anxious look on her face.

"You did this without asking me first, Ryou. I can't believe this. Oh, great now I'm going to have to miss work tomorrow due to this situation." Tetsuya stated in a calm tone.

Upon hearing the conversation, Yosaki and Shiznae had requested Tetsuya to meet them in the hallway. While Tetsuya was stepping away from the counter is when Ryou, Minato, and Kushina left the bakery.

"Tetsuya, you seemed to be upset back there when Ryou was talking to you. Is something bothering you?" Shiznae asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Nothing's bothering me really, Shiznae." Tetsuya answered with a neutral look on his face.

"Are you sure, Tetsuya? Because this is the first time in a while since you had to miss work for us. I know how important this job is to you since you're providing for Yuki and Yumi." Yosaki asked in a calm tone.

"Yes, I am completely alright, Yosaki." Tetsuya replied right as he was about to head back to the counter to finish the rest of his work shift.

"Yosaki, dear. I still think there's something that is bothering Tetsuya but he didn't want to tell us." Shiznae said while looking directly at Yosaki.

"I think so too, Shiznae. I mean it is unusual for Tetsuya to act like this except for that one time we went on that trip before he and Yuki got engaged." Yosaki said with a sigh under his breath while he and Shiznae were walking down the hallway.

Then an hour later, Tetsuya proceeded to end his shift and said goodbye to his in-laws before heading to the school to pick up Yumi. "_Well at least I get to relive some of the stress that's been bothering me today. I sure hope my sweet Yumi had a good first day of school._" Tetsuya thought to himself while he was on route to Yumi's school.

Once he got to the entranceway of the school, Tetsuya saw that Yumi was standing there with a smile on her face. After Yumi gave Tetsuya a hug, they both left the school grounds in the direction for the apartment.

"So, sweetie. How was your first day of school?" Tetsuya asked with a curious look on his face.

"It was ok, Daddy." Yumi answered with a calm look on her face.

"Don't worry, Yumi. It's only the first day of school trust me you will have at least a couple of fun days throughout the school year." Tetsuya stated as he rubbed on Yumi's head.

"Daddy, what happened to your hand?" Yumi asked as she noticed Tetsuya's bandaged hand.

"I hit it on something hard this morning, sweetie. It should be all better now." Tetsuya answered right as he was taking off the bandage.

That put a sigh of relief on Yumi's face as she and Tetsuya were one block away from the apartment. This is when Tetsuya began to feel a bit distraught now that his wounded hand was visible despite how bandaged up it had been from the people that cared about him the most.

However, Tetsuya signaled for Yumi to head into the apartment first so she could tell Yuki how her first day of school went. "_If the symbol of the Pure Land Guardians was guarding the three apartments today. I better contact the Sage because I am feeling that something bad is going on._" Tetsuya thought to himself with a concerned look on his face right before taking a step into the apartment.

"Hi. Tetsuya, my love. How was work?" Yuki asked after she gave Tetsuya a kiss.

"Work was alright, sweetheart. If you need me I'll be in the bedroom for a while doing some meditating." Tetsuya replied with a calm look on his face.

Meanwhile Tetsuya was walking to the bedroom, Yumi had bumped into Tetsuya while she was heading back to living room after dropping off her school bag and he rubbed her head gently. However, Yumi could tell that something was wrong with Yuki just by looking at the facial expression.

"Yumi, sweetie. Can I ask you something?" Yuki asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Yes, Mommy." Yumi answered with a calm look on her face.

"Is it me or has your father been acting a bit strange today? I mean I have never heard of him mediating before until now." Yuki said with a calm look on his face.

"Well Daddy has been acting weird because I noticed a strange wound on his arm that he got today. Mommy, I have never seen Daddy act this way especially with a wound like that on his arm." Yumi said with a concerned look on her face.

In that moment was when both Yuki and Yumi both embraced other before heading into the kitchen to make dinner.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya was in his meditating session trying to contact the Sage of the Six Paths in his mind. The transmission on Tetsuya's end did reach the Sage even though it took a lot of Tetsuya's mental prowess just to get it done.

"_Sage. I know this a bit sudden of me contacting you but I saw a lock with the Guardians symbol today. What was the purpose behind that?_" Tetsuya asked once the signal went through.

"_The purpose behind those locks was a signal for you to contact me, Tetsuya. Because there's something very important that I have to inform you about._" The Sage answered back with a calm tone.

"_What is it, Sage?" _Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"_You are in grave danger, Tetsuya._" The Sage answered with a blunt look.

"_What do you mean by grave danger?_" Tetsuya asked out of concern.

"_Your old arch nemesis that you brought to the Pure Land many years ago has returned vowing to destroy the area you reside in now, finishing you off, and taking everything that you care about away from you._" The Sage answered with a stern look on his face.

"_So, my arch nemesis that I killed during my time in exile has returned seeking vengeance and the same one that's capable of destroying large scale areas in one blow. Wait a minute I remember that there's a secret bunker somewhere which was designed for major disasters and used as a replica of the area._" Tetsuya said with a sigh under his breath.

"_Since I am aware of how dangerous the situation is, Tetsuya. I am giving you part of my powers including the Rinnegan which is only to be used for your big fight._" The Sage stated once he put his hand on top of Tetsuya's hand.

"_Understood, Sage. So, when is my arch nemesis supposed to make his assault? The reason I'm asking is that I can get everything prepared and have everyone evacuated to the bunker by that time."_ Tetsuya asked with a calm tone.

"_Five days from now. Tetsuya. By the way there is one more thing…..."_ The Sage answered with honesty.

Then Tetsuya and The Sage's conversation lasted for a short while after that which ended with Tetsuya opening his eyes to see that he was back in his bedroom.

Suddenly Tetsuya felt distraught and he started to get up from before noticing that Yumi was standing in the bedroom door. Then Tetsuya motioned Yumi for her to come into Tetsuya's direction.

"Daddy, are you alright? Me and Mommy were concerned about you ever since we came home." Yumi asked once she made it to where Tetsuya was standing.

"I'm feeling distraught right now, sweetie and the riddle behind my bruised hand which you noticed was solved while I was meditating. This is to be remain a secret from our family and friends until the time is right." Tetsuya answered while rubbing Yumi's head.

"Ok, Daddy. I promise to keep it a secret." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"Tetsuya, Yumi. It's dinner time." Yuki shouted all the way from the kitchen with a smooth delivery in her voice.

While eating dinner, Tetsuya maintained a natural look on his face and carried on a conversation asking Yuki how her day went which made him feel a bit relieved. Once dinner had ended and after sitting on the sofa looking directly at his family who were now starting to fall asleep in the living room Tetsuya had started to think about what the Sage warned him earlier. "_Now where did I hide my Six Path's stick at. It should be here in the confines of my closet and finding it won't be hard since I have some of the Sage's powers again."_ Tetsuya thought to himself while he went back to the bedroom and opened the closet door.

It didn't take long after opening the closet for Tetsuya to find his sacred Six Path's stick and he placed it right next to his dresser nearby his side of the bed. Just as he was about to get up from putting away his stick in its new location, Tetsuya notices that Yuki is standing in the bedroom door.

"Tetsuya, what are you doing?" Yuki asked with a curious look on her face.

"I was putting something away, Yuki." Tetsuya answered while he was shutting the closet door with a calm look on his face.

"Oh ok, I didn't know where you went off to since me and Yumi took a little snooze. Tetsuya, my love, are you feeling alright?" Yuki asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Yes, Yuki. I'm fine. It seems like everyone I know today thinks something's bothering me and there isn't anything bothering me at this moment." Tetsuya answered as he was about to raise to his voice.

"Alright, Tetsuya. I was just asking because it looked like you are under stress." Yuki said while placing her hands-on Tetsuya's shoulders.

"Well maybe I should head to bed since I got a long busy day ahead of me tomorrow, Yuki. I will take Yumi to school first thing in the morning. Good night and I love you." Tetsuya said right as he gave Yuki a good night kiss.

"Good night and I love you too, Tetsuya." Yuki stated with a smile on her face.


	6. Setting Up Shelter and Tours of the Area

Tetsuya woke up on the following day with a neutral look on his face. After placing the Six Path's stick in his pocket, Tetsuya was ready to start his day and headed to the kitchen so he could prepare Yumi's bento. "_This is going to be strenuous. How in the world am I going to have time to get the provisions down to the bunker before the anticipated assault happens when my nephew, his wife and his friends are all going to be down here for a visit. I might have to contact some reinforcements later today._" Tetsuya thought to himself while he was putting the final touches on Yumi's bento.

Then Tetsuya notices that Yumi was walking into the dining room with a smile on her face and backpack was on her left shoulder.

"Good morning, Daddy." Yumi said as she grabbed a banana from the dining room table.

"Good morning, sweetie. Are you ready to head out for school?" Tetsuya asked as he was stepping out of the apartment.

"Yes, Daddy. How come Mommy didn't want to come with us?" Yumi responded once she took the bento from Tetsuya's hand and stepped out of the apartment.

"Well it's that Mommy wanted to have some rest before she heads off to work and I told her that I wanted to take you to school today. There might be a chance that I won't be able to pick you up after school today. So, I'm going to ask Kyou-sensei if it's alright with her that she can drop you off at the bakery." Tetsuya answered with a sigh under his breath.

"Ok, Daddy. I understand." Yumi said with a gloomy look on her face.

Tetsuya was about say something else but Yumi still felt a little upset on the fact that her father was not planning on picking her up after school. By the time they had made it to the school, Yumi just gave Tetsuya a hug and ran to catch up with her friends. However, this left Tetsuya bewildered until he saw Kyou who had been standing in front of the school's entrance gates coming towards his direction.

"Hello, Tetsuya. Aren't you supposed to meet Ryou at the apartment complexes of those people you rescued in an hour?" Kyou asked with a calm look on her face.

"Yes, thank you for reminding me about that. Can I ask you to do me one special favor, Kyou?" Tetsuya said with a calm look on his face.

"Sure, what is it, Tetsuya?" Kyou said with a sigh under her breath while looking at the clock.

"Would you mind escorting Yumi to the bakery after school for me? I mean Shiznae, Yosaki, or Shia should be there since one of them is always patrolling the bakery anyways." Tetsuya asked as he was about to leave the school grounds.

"Oh ok, Tetsuya. I will do the favor for you. Have a good day." Kyou said as she waved her hand to Tetsuya who had done the same hand gesture.

"Thank you, Kyou." Tetsuya said as he left the school grounds in a bit of a hurry.

Once Kyou made it back to her classroom, she notices that Yumi wasn't there and this led her to ask every single one of her students about Yumi's whereabouts. Suddenly, one of the other teachers had Yumi escorted back to Kyou's classroom and explained to Kyou that Yumi tried to leave school all on her own without an adult and started to get aggressive towards the teacher. Kyou was in complete shock when she heard all about this and signaled Yumi to have a seat directly in front of the teacher's desk.

"Yumi, I can't believe you acted out like this. You are aware that I have to tell your mother and father what just happened." Kyou said with a sigh under her breath.

"Kyou-sensei, please don't tell Daddy on me." Yumi said in a pleading tone.

"I'm sorry, Yumi. But that is something I can't do since it's a part of my job." Kyou said in a calm tone.

"Fine be that way. First, it's Daddy, now it's you too Kyou-sensei." Yumi stated in a smirk tone.

"OK THAT'S IT. YUMI, YOU GO SIT IN THE TIMEOUT CHAIR RIGHT NOW AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE." Kyou shouted at Yumi while directing her to the timeout chair on the other side of the classroom. That caused the entire class to be scared except for Yumi who started to cry while she was on her way to the timeout chair.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya was a block away from the apartment complexes until he saw Ryou coming in his direction with a concerned look on her face.

"Good morning, Ryou. Is something wrong?" Tetsuya asked with a calm look on his face.

"Good morning, Tetsuya. Just as a heads up, Kyou might have sent you a message because there was a little bit of a situation that happened with Yumi at school today. She wanted me to tell you that." Ryou answered her concern to Tetsuya with a calm look on her face.

"What do you mean by a little bit of a situation?" Tetsuya asked as he was about to pull out his cell phone and look at his inbox.

"Well…." Ryou answered before noticing that Tetsuya was glancing at the message that Kyou just sent him.

Tetsuya then went into a state of shock after reading the message. However, he chose to remain calm since him and Ryou were now arriving at the apartment complexes. So, Tetsuya and Ryou knocked on the three apartment doors to see if Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata were all up and ready to head out for the grand tour of the area.

Then the second apartment door was opened all the way with every single person of the entire group coming out of that apartment complex with smiles on their faces.

"Good morning, everyone." Tetsuya and Ryou greetedRiki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata.

"Good morning, Tetsuya-san and Ryou-san." Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata said in unison.

"I want you guys to know that if you have any questions about any spot that we pass by during the tour of the area. Me and Ryou here won't mind answering them. It looks like we are all ready to get this tour started." Tetsuya stating the tour instructions to Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata with a calm look on his face.

That is when Tetsuya and Ryou began giving the long-tour of the area to Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata. "_I'm happy Tetsuya is being a tour guide to the kind people that he and Yuki rescued. This keeps him distracted from having to worry about his nephew's arrival today and the incident with Yumi at school._" Ryou thought to herself as she looked on with a smile on her face partway through the big tour.

The tour had gone on until an hour past midday; and by the time Tetsuya left Riki, Rin, Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Komari, Kud, Kurugaya, Mio, Haruka, Sasami, and Kanata at their apartment complexes he had gone to stroll until he could find an empty bench to sit on. However, Ryou had stayed with the group since she had done some grocery shopping and wanted to put the groceries up before heading back home.

Then Tetsuya upon finding the bench he was looking for pulled out his cell phone and started to dial the number of the Sarutobi residence.

"Hello, Professor." Tetsuya stated in a blunt voice once the phone call went through.

"Hello, Tetsuya. You don't sound like your normal self. It seems something's troubling you." Hiruzen stated with a calm tone on his end of the phone.

"Yes, something is troubling me. However, it's like a confirmed feeling that a major threat is planning to destroy the area in _four days_." Tetsuya stated in a gloomy tone.

"Tetsuya, what are you going to do?" Hiruzen stated in a calm tone.

"I was going to ask if you, Tsunade-Sensei, Dan-Senpai, Shikaku, Inoichi, Fugaku, Mikoto and Obito would come down here to the area say tomorrow. However, you guys won't be staying at the inn." Tetsuya answered with a calm tone.

"Alright, Tetsuya. We will see you tomorrow." Hiruzen stated in a stern voice.

"Thank you, Professor." Tetsuya said right as he was about to end the phone call.

Then Tetsuya got up from the bench with a sigh of relief on his face as since he took care of his little side errand. Before making another step, Tetsuya notices that Ryou was coming towards his direction and he figured that she was wanting somebody to accompany her back to her house.

"So, what are you going to do for the rest of the day, Tetsuya? I mean your nephew, his wife, and their friends would want to see you sometime today." Ryou asked out of curiosity on the trip back to her house.

"Well of course I'm going to see them, Ryou. It's that I have to venture out somewhere for a short while and I still have to figure out how I am going to punish Yumi after her little incident at school." Tetsuya answered with a sigh under his breath.

"Oh, I forgot about the Yumi incident. Whatever you choose as a punishment, Tetsuya, remember that no matter what the outcome is from it I believe your daughter will learn not to make that kind of mistake again and she will thank you for teaching her that lesson." Ryou stated right as she was on the block leading to her house.

"Thank you for the advice, Ryou. Have a great day." Tetsuya said as he waved his hand to Ryou.

Once Tetsuya officially parted ways with Ryou, he continued his search for the entranceway to the bunker until he noticed the Six Path's stick faintly starting to vibrate. Then the vibrations got stronger once Tetsuya was a couple of blocks east of the hospital and noticed some oddly shaped rocks guarding something. This is when Tetsuya decided to move the rocks before he notices a door was behind all those rocks. "_So that must be the door which leads to the bunker because the stick seems to stop vibrating suddenly._" Tetsuya thought to himself before stepping foot inside the doorway.

Upon entering the bunker, Tetsuya began making observations on what needed to be cleaned so it could be prepared for bringing everyone down there. "_It seems like cleaning up this bunker could take at least a day or two. Luckily the Sage also gave me my powers back as well so that means I can transport myself with the Flying Raijin jutsu at relative ease to prepare won't be a problem at all. Now to put a Flying Raijin marker on the wall so it can make it easier for me to get here._" Tetsuya thought to himself as he touched a wall of the massive city-like bunker. Then Tetsuya left the bunker and by the time he got out he notices that the Pure Land sky had gone into early evening.

Suddenly Tetsuya notices that his cell phone was ringing and sees that the name on his caller ID was his sister, Kushina.

"Oh, hello, Sis. What's up?" Tetsuya answered with a calm tone on his end of the phone call.

"Hello, little brother. I was wondering if you wanted to join me, Minato, Naruto, Hinata, and their friends for dinner tonight at Yuki's noodle shop, you know." Kushina replied with a curious tone.

"Sure, Kushina. Sounds good to me and can you do me a special favor if you guys get there before I do?" Tetsuya stated in a calm tone.

"Anything for my little brother. What is the favor that you want us to do in case you show up late?" Kushina answered in a concerned tone.

"If you guys see Yumi inside the restaurant would you escort her outside to the bench in front of the noodle shop once you see me out through the window. Can you do that for me, Sis?" Tetsuya stated his favor in a neutral tone.

"Ok, little brother. I accept your favor and we will see you in a little while. Love you." Kushina stated as she was about to end the phone call.

"Thank you, Sis. I love you too. See you in a little while." Tetsuya said right as he was about to hang up his cell phone.

Before heading to the noodle shop, Tetsuya went to the apartment, so he could put away his Six Path's stick and checked the mail right after locking up the place. "_Well I hope Kushina, Minato, Naruto, and their crew tried to wait on me before taking any orders at the noodle shop. It's been over ten years since I last saw Naruto and Hinata's friends, Kakashi, and Guy so this better be good."_ Tetsuya thought to himself while on his way to the noodle shop.

Meanwhile, Kushina had taken a head count of all the people that was in her and Minato's party before they decided to leave the inn that Naruto, Hinata, and their crew were staying at in the direction of the noodle shop.

"Kushina is something wrong?" Minato asked out of concern.

"Nothing really, Minato. I'm just glad that Tetsuya accepted the dinner request to the noodle shop with all of us." Kushina answered with a nervous look on her face before walking back to converse with Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and Tenten.

"It's just as I suspected." Minato said with a sigh under his breath to Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi.

"What do you mean by that, Dad?" Naruto asked out of curiosity.

"I think your uncle trying to hide something. I mean he's been acting very precarious lately not only around your cousin and aunt but everyone around here that knows him well. It's been going on since yesterday, Naruto." Minato answered as everyone in the party was a block away from the noodle shop.

"Has Uncle Tetsuya ever acted this way before, Dad?" Naruto asked out of curiosity.

"I think he has a few times…" Minato replied before getting hit on the shoulder with such a strong force by Kushina.

"There that's your answer, Naruto. Look here we are at the noodle shop where your Aunt Yuki works at." Kushina said with a smile on her face.

Upon entering the noodle shop, Kushina notices that there was a large table and Yumi was sitting over there alongside Yosaki, Shiznae, and Shia which led to the realization that the table had been reserved. After Yumi introduced Yosaki, Shiznae, and Shia to Naruto and Hinata's friends was when they placed their orders. Meanwhile, Kushina was looking out at the window to see if Tetsuya was on his way and began to feel concerned about the favor he asked her to do pertaining to Yumi.

Then a couple of minutes later, Yuki comes by with everyone's food orders and proceeds to take a seat with a smile on her face. Right after introducing herself to Naruto and Hinata's friends, Yuki began to look at Kushina with a worried look on her face.

"Is something wrong, Kushina?" Yuki asked out of concern.

"Nothing's wrong, Yuki. Oh, Yumi do you mind coming outside with me for just a moment?" Kushina answered with a natural look on her face after looking out the window to see that Tetsuya was on the street where the noodle shop was at.

"Umm…ok, Aunt Kushina." Yumi answered right as she was about halfway done with her bowl of ramen and got up from the table following Kushina.

This began to leave very suspicious looks on the faces from everyone else on the table and proceeded to finish their dinner in peace. "_Now this is starting to get very strange._" Minato thought to himself once he saw Kushina leave the noodle shop.

Once Kushina escorted Yumi to the bench that was right across from the noodle shop, she could notice the sad look that was on Yumi's face and felt it was the right thing to do by standing right next to the bench. Then Tetsuya came walking towards Kushina and Yumi's direction with a calm look on his face and proceeded to take a seat on the bench. Just before anybody could say anything, Tetsuya notices that Yuki was coming outside from the noodle shop and heading towards their direction in which prompted Kushina to head back inside to rejoin Minato and the others.

"Yumi, do you want to explain to me and your mother about what happened at school today?" Tetsuya asked in a very calm tone.

"Well it went good…." Yumi answered very nervously.

"Not that, Yumi. I can't believe you are trying to lie in front of me and your mom. How could you? I'm very disappointed in you, sweetie." Tetsuya said in a very stern voice.

"What in the world are you talking about, Tetsuya?" Yuki asked out of concern.

"Well Yumi tried to run away from school today and to top it all off when her teacher asked her about it she decided to back talk her." Tetsuya answered with a stern look on his face.

"Yumi, sweetie, I can't believe you did such a thing. You are aware that me and your father are going to punish you for not only the actions you did at school today but lying to us about it." Yuki said with a sigh underneath her breath.

"I'M SORRY…Mommy and Daddy." Yuki said with tears in her eyes while trying to embrace Tetsuya and Yuki.

"I have thought about your punishment and it should be no phone privileges for a week, Yumi. Me and Mommy accept your apology though." Tetsuya stated with a calm look on his face.

Yuki nodded her head in agreeance to Tetsuya's idea and Yumi accepted her punishment while they went back inside the noodle shop. Suddenly, Tetsuya felt relieved to see Naruto and Hinata's friends again before they headed back to inn since it started to get a little late. Realizing the time as well, Yuki and Yumi decided to head back towards the apartment while Tetsuya wanted to stay so he could get his ramen from the noodle shop and visit a while longer. Yosaki, Shiznae, and Shia all headed back to the bakery about two minutes after Yuki did but not before telling goodbye to Tetsuya with a big smile on their faces.

"Little brother, umm…why was Yumi sad whenever you showed up?" Kushina asked right as Tetsuya was about to take his first bite of ramen.

"Well she was sad because she had gotten into some trouble today at school that I found out about while I was doing my big errand and she lied about it to me and Yuki which made things worse. So, I took the right precautions by punishing her fairly." Tetsuya answered honestly after eating the first bite of ramen.

"I see, Tetsuya. Hmmm…...it seems like something's on your mind?" Minato asked out of curiosity.

"Well there is something that's been on my mind for a little while now. Since that you, Kushina, Naruto, and Hinata are all here there's something very important I want to tell you guys since you are my family." Tetsuya answered with a sigh underneath his breath.

"What are you talking about, Uncle Tetsuya?" Naruto asked with a confused look on his face.

"Just let him explain everything, ok, Naruto." Hinata said with a sigh under her breath.

"If anything, bad ever happens to me, I want you guys to look after Yuki and Yumi on my behalf." Tetsuya stated with a smile on his face after finishing his bowl of ramen.

This startled Minato, Kushina, Naruto, and Hinata after realizing that Tetsuya was being serious with his statement. Before Kushina could say anything, Tetsuya got up from the table and proceeded to leave the noodle shop in the direction for the apartment. Then a couple of minutes later was when Minato, Kushina, Naruto, and Hinata left the noodle shop still pondering about what had transpired while on their way back to the inn.

"Well good night, Naruto and Hinata. See you guys tomorrow. Love you." Kushina stated as she hugged Naruto and Hinata prospectively once they reached the inn.

"Good night, Mom and Dad." Naruto stated with a smile on his face before heading into the inn with Hinata.

Once Naruto walked into the inn was when Minato and Kushina made their way back home. However, Minato could see that Kushina was feeling distraught while on the journey back to their house and decided to stop walking right as they got to their front porch.

"Kushina, I can tell something's bothering you. Do you want to tell me what it is?" Minato asked out of concern as he put his hand over Kushina's shoulder.

"It's what Tetsuya said back at the noodle shop earlier to us is what has been bothering me a bit, Minato. I mean why would he say something like that unless there's something he is not wanting to tell us or..." Kushina replied before she was about to have tears drip down from her face.

"Kushina, listen to me. I don't quite understand fully why Tetsuya said the things he did at the noodle shop but if it's that something catastrophic might happen. But that's only my opinion on it." Minato said with a sigh underneath his breath.

Then Minato and Kushina went inside their house to get ready for bed since they had a very a long day of showing their son, daughter-in-law, and friends a tour of the area.


	7. The Truth Revealed!

The following morning once Tetsuya dropped Yumi off at school, he went on his way to the train station which was only a few blocks east of the school. "_I hope I don't to have to wait too long for the train carrying Professor, Tsunade-Sensei, Dan-Senpai, Shikaku, Inoichi, Fugaku, Mikoto, and Obito to show up._" Tetsuya thought to himself once he made it to the train station and sat on a nearby bench. Suddenly the train arrived into the station which put a big sigh of relief on Tetsuya's face.

Once he saw Hiruzen, Tsunade, Dan, Shikaku, Inoichi, Fugaku, Mikoto, and Obito get off the train is when Tetsuya stood up from the bench to walk over to greet them. However, before he could greet them Tetsuya had to hide his Six Path's stick deep in his pocket.

"It has been a while, Tetsuya. What's the occasion that you summoned us back down here for?" Tsunade said after Tetsuya greeted everyone else surrounding them.

"Tsunade-Sensei, the reason I only chose you guys is something I don't want to say in a crowded place like this. So, I am going to explain everything once I escort you guys to where you will be staying at. Now if everyone will follow me, please." Tetsuya stated in a calm tone towards his mentor and old friends.

While on the way to the entrance for the bunker, Tetsuya was on the lookout to make sure that where wasn't anything suspicious going to sneak up on his group. That was until he realized everything had been all clear just around the block before the bunker's entranceway. Once Hiruzen, Tsunade, Dan, Shikaku, Inoichi, Fugaku, Mikoto, Obito, and Tetsuya made it to the entranceway of the bunker is when Tetsuya told the others to stand back so he could open the door.

After everyone in the group made it into the bunker and took a quick look around of the place is when Tetsuya gathered their attention.

"The reason I brought you here as a place to stay instead of the inn is because this will be a bunker and my personal headquarters for the next couple of days. I know based on from what you saw here this bunker maybe small but if you walk a bit further it's a lot bigger than what you realize." Tetsuya said in a calm tone.

"Why is this place being used as a bunker, Tetsuya?" Inoichi asked out of curiosity.

"It's to protect everybody from a calamity that could wipe out this area in a couple of days. Only a calamity that I brought up to the Pure Land during my time as an exiled shinobi which I considered it to be my archenemy for years. However, very recently I learned that the calamity has returned and only I can stop it." Tetsuya replied with a big sigh a under his breath.

A sudden hush fell over the room as everyone began to realize what Tetsuya's purpose for bringing them and his mission was going to be. Tetsuya was about to leave the bunker, so he can head back to the apartment.

"Tetsuya, does Yuki or Yumi know about this?" Tsunade asked right before Tetsuya touched the doorknob to the bunker's main door.

"No, not yet but when the time's right I will explain everything to them, Sensei." Tetsuya answered with a calm look on face.

Upon arriving back at the apartment, Tetsuya had sat down on the sofa to begin thinking on how he might tell the truth to Yuki and Yumi. "_There is only one way I would have to explain the situation to Yuki and Yumi. However, I am would feel a lot of shame if I had them come into my next meditation session or contacting the Sage, but it is what I must do._" Tetsuya thought to himself with gloomy look on his face.Then a couple of minutes passed by until Tetsuya sees Yuki and Yumi entering the apartment with calm looks on their faces.

"Hi, Daddy." Yumi stated as she hugged Tetsuya before she put her school bag away in her bedroom.

"Hello, honey. It seems that something's bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?" Yuki stated out of concern after giving a hug and kiss to Tetsuya before taking a seat next to him on the sofa.

"Well…there is something I have to tell both you and Yumi." Tetsuya answered with a calm tone in his voice.

"Yumi, sweetie. Can you please come into the living room?" Yuki said to Yumi who was in her bedroom.

Then Yumi came into the living room taking a seat right next to Yuki with a concern look on her face upon realizing the facial expressions on both Tetsuya and Yuki's faces.

"Are you ready to tell us, my love?" Yuki asked out of concern.

"Yes. However, I was wanting to know if you guys would join me in meditation and once you close your eyes hold out one hand to make a fist-bump towards my hands." Tetsuya answered with a natural look.

"Does this have to do with Mommy's talking about, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Well I guess if this is how your father wants to prepare explaining on what is bothering him. Then I suppose we better do it." Yuki answered as she and Yumi were following Tetsuya's pre-meditation instructions.

Upon closing their eyes at the start of the meditation, Yuki and Yumi's minds were now entering Tetsuya's psyche after feeling his fist bumps touch their hands. Once he saw that his wife and daughter had made it through his psyche, Tetsuya had signaled for them to come forward. Yuki and Yumi were startled in the appearance that Tetsuya had taken himself in while he's in his own psyche.

"I'm glad that there were no problems for you guys in entering my psyche." Tetsuya stated while clenching his Six Path's staff in his right hand.

"Why do you look like a wizard with that get-up, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Yumi Uzumaki. Don't you dare insult your father while were in his mind…." Yuki stated as she was about to scold Yumi.

"It's alright, Yuki. Don't get onto Yumi for asking such things. I mean you're probably thinking the very same thing she is right now, sweetheart." Tetsuya said once he patted Yuki's left shoulder.

"Oh ok, I was wondering the same thing, Tetsuya. I'm sorry, Yumi sweetie for lashing out at you for no reason." Yuki stated to both Tetsuya and Yumi.

"It's ok, Mommy. Umm…. Daddy, something's coming this way." Yumi stated right before she noticed three figures were coming in her family's direction.

This made Tetsuya turnaround to see that there were two beings whom he had recognized in his past back when he was alive were accompanying the Sage of the Six Paths. However, Yuki and Yumi were a bit confused on who these guests in Tetsuya's psyche were. That was the case until the Sage and Tetsuya proceeded to stand a few feet from each other to exchange their usual greeting.

"So, I'm guessing everything with the bunker idea of yours is going according to plan, Tetsuya." The Sage of the Six Paths stated after he greeted Tetsuya.

"Yes, everything's going according to plan and it should be up by tomorrow at the least." Tetsuya stated with a calm tone.

Yuki and Yumi were baffled on what they just heard but had been refrained from saying anything by the two beings that were near them. Suddenly, Tetsuya motioned for Yuki and Yumi to take a couple of steps back from the two beings; then the two beings had begun to change into their original form revealing themselves to be none other than Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and Lady Katsuyu.

"This is an unexpected reunion that I thought wouldn't happen for a while but the former archenemy of my own family who redeemed himself on the day I came up to the Pure Land and the oldest ally to my sensei. There is a special purpose into why the Sage summoned the both of you in here alongside with him." Tetsuya stated after realizing whom the beings were.

"You see Tetsuya, the Sage has turned us into Pure Land Guardians just like he did to you and we wanted to tell you that before we have to get back defending our regions of the Pure Land." Kurama stated before he and Katsuyu teleported out of Tetsuya's psyche.

Once Kurama and Katsuyu disappeared from Tetsuya's psyche, Tetsuya had his attention back to Yuki and Yumi who were still bewildered on everything that had transpired. The Sage of the Six Paths took notice of this and figured it would be the right time for both he and Tetsuya to explain everything since he realized Tetsuya's purpose for calling him.

"Yuki, Yumi, there are some things that I have never told you guys about me and one of the reasons why its been that way is due to the entity that you see right in front of you. He is known by few as the Sage of the Six Paths or others also know him as the Ultimate Gatekeeper of the Pure Land. You see my adult life before I came up here in the Pure Land was in debt of service to the Sage because he got me out of coming here earlier than intended once." Tetsuya stated with honesty in his voice.

"If you are wondering what Tetsuya is talking about, look at your own reflections at this body of water once I hit it with my staff. It shall give you the answer that is pondering in your minds right now, Yuki and Yumi, wife and daughter of my most loyal servant, Tetsuya Uzumaki." The Sage of the Six Paths stated once he pulled out his staff.

Yuki and Yumi did what the Sage wanted them to do and looked deeply into their own reflections. That was when Yuki and Yumi saw the tale of Tetsuya's past adventures both in the living world and in the Pure Land right before he ever met Yuki. While his wife and daughter were looking at the reflections, Tetsuya had looked to the Sage for him to get approval to reveal his Pure Land Guardian marking and other powers temporarily entrusted to him; the Sage gave Tetsuya the nod of approval since he realized that Yuki and Yumi were almost done looking at the reflections. However, Tetsuya noticed that both Yuki and Yumi were in disbelief and tried to hide tears from him once they got done looking at the reflections.

"Tetsuya, sweetheart. What is up with your eyes and markings on your hand? Oh no those are the same things me and Yumi saw in those reflections. Why?" Yuki stated as she was about to hold onto Yumi's hand.

"Yuki, my dearest love and Yumi, my sweet little daughter. Now it's time that I reveal the final truth to you guys and this explains my actions in recent days. The marking on my hand is that of the Pure Land Guardians, who are sworn protectors of certain areas in the Pure Land from major calamities which pertains to them personally for example I'm our area's Guardian. You see right after we saved those 12 people from the side of the cliff a few days well I was helping them getting adjusted around here until I saw the same marking you see here on three apartment doors which I knew was an emergency call to the Sage here which gave me my old visual prowess back for the next thing I'm about to tell you both. So, I found out that an old archenemy of mine whom you saw on the reflections is on his way here to invade the area in a couple of days." Tetsuya stated with a sigh under his breath.

"What are we going to do in case if the foe comes early, Tetsuya? Because me and Yumi are a bit scared right now." Yuki stated in a terrified look on her face.

"Don't worry, Yuki. I've got that taken care of and speaking of which. I need you to head straight to the bakery to grab your parents and Shia, have them huddle nearby my workstation because there is a teleportation marker that will take you guys to a bunker which is being setup for refuge from the invasion. Besides there's some familiar faces down there running the safehouse so try to make yourselves at home once you're there." Tetsuya stated in a calm tone.

"What about you and Yumi?" Yuki asked out of concern.

"No worries. Yumi will join up with you in a little while and don't worry about me because I will be fine. In case if I don't see you again for a while." Tetsuya stated as he gave Yuki a strong embrace while a tear was shedding down her face before he let her out of his psyche.

Yuki as she started to fade away from Tetsuya's psyche started to tear up a lot more until she started feeling them in her consciousness. Then Yuki proceeded to leave the apartment and thought to herself, "_Be brave Yuki. You must for our family and even though Tetsuya is sacrificing himself for everyone, but I learned a lot about why he is doing it. I mean Yumi is counting on me as well, so I need to be a strong mother also._"

Meanwhile, Yumi was puzzled into why she is still in Tetsuya's psyche despite everything that had transpired. Then Tetsuya motioned Yumi for her to come right by his side and she did without any hesitation.

"Why did you want to keep me here a while longer, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Yumi, sweetie, there is something I haven't been honest with you about and now's the time I tell you. You see when you first told me that what you wanted to be like me when you got older well I was afraid for your safety because I didn't want you end up exactly how I was. Instead of realizing how proud I was back then to have a daughter that wanted to be like me I ended up being overprotecting and that is not how me or your mother wanted to raise you. I'm sorry for over doubting your dreams, sweetie." Tetsuya stated with a natural look on his face.

"I accept your apology, Daddy. It seems there is something else that you want to tell me?" Yumi asked as she embraced Tetsuya right in front of the Sage of the Six Paths.

"Oh yes, there is one thing I wanted to ask of you, Yumi. I want you to know that your uncle Minato, aunt Kushina, and cousin Naruto will look after you in case if anything bad happens to me or your mother. Promise me to keep a very close eye on your mother for me and be a good girl for her, ok, Sweetie. Daddy's going to let you go now so follow Mommy. Tell her that I love her for me once you get to her, ok. Daddy will always love you no matter what." Tetsuya stated with an emotional response to Yumi as he let go of her hand, kissed her on the forehead, and touched Yumi's heart.

"Ok, Daddy. I will relay the message and no worries I will always love you too." Yumi stated as she faded from Tetsuya's psyche with tears in her face.


	8. Yuki and Yumi's Time in the Bunker

Then Yumi regained consciousness with a natural look on her face got up and before leaving the apartment she gave her father a goodbye kiss on the forehead despite he was still in a meditative state. On her way the to the bakery to meet up with her mother, Yuki and her family, Yumi had been pondering on the final conversation that she and Tetsuya had in his psyche. "_I will do my best for you, Daddy. No worries I can do it. Oh, it looks like Saki and Shiza are closing up the bakery already._" Yumi thought to herself once she made it to the intersection of the Sakagami Bakery.

"Yumi, my sweet adorable niece. You made it." Shia stated as she hugged Yumi.

"Hi, Aunt Shia. Is my Mommy here yet?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, your mom is here, Yumi. She went inside and told me to wait out here until you arrived." Shia replied as she and Yumi started to walk inside the Sakagami Bakery.

Once Shia and Yumi were inside the bakery, Yumi notices that Yuki is standing in the counter right next to Shiznae and Yosaki. Then Yumi realized what was going on and motioned Shia to hold onto her right hand while she had her left-hand touch Yuki's hand. One-by-one everyone that was in the room had a hand on one another; and suddenly Yuki, Yumi, Shia, Yosaki, and Shiznae were now teleported out of the bakery and into a corner of the bunker.

Upon letting go of their hands, Yuki and her family decided to look at their surroundings before they were stopped by a familiar face who had been standing a few feet away from the teleportation site. Yuki was a bit startled at first until she remembered the final thing that Tetsuya told her about the bunker.

"So, you figured out that there was a Teleportation marker down here in the bunker, Yuki? Hmm…" Tsunade asked as she was about to greet Yuki and her family.

"Not quite, Lady Tsunade. _He _kind of told me where it was and how to perform the teleportation technique." Yuki stated with hesitation in her voice.

"I see, so Tetsuya did manage to tell you and Yumi everything after all including why me and a few of his old friends are down here managing this bunker." Tsunade stated with a calm tone.

"Tetsuya?! Yuki, what is going on here?" Yosaki and Shiznae asked out of concern.

"Saki, Shiza, if you want to know what is going on and why it has to involve my Daddy then it should be coming out of me. I don't know if Mommy feels like talking about it because that would make her sad if I brought it up around her please. I think you should hear this to Aunt Shia. Is there another room so we can give my Mommy some space for now?" Yumi stated in a bold tone.

"I think there is a room three doors down on the left that you can use for now, Yumi." Tsunade replied with an honest tone.

"Thank you so much, Tsunade-san." Yumi said with a smile on her face while she motioned for Yosaki, Shiznae and Shia to head to the vacant room on the left side of the hallway.

"She acts just like how _he_ was when I first had him as a student. There's no mistake about it that Yumi will be like Tetsuya one day. The way that she understands one's feelings is exactly like how he was and so on. You should be proud of that, Yuki." Tsunade stated with a smile on her face looking at Yuki.

"I know, Lady Tsunade. I can see it everyday that Yumi has more of Tetsuya's personality than my own, but she likes some of the things that I do still. Even though Tetsuya is not around, and I miss him because of this situation." Yuki stated as she about to have a tear come down her face.

"It's okay, Mommy. You still got me, Shiza, Saki, Aunt Shia, Aunt Kushina, Uncle Minato, and the rest of our family that will always love us no matter the situation." Yumi stated as she came back into the room that Yuki and Tsunade were in with Shia, Yosaki, and Shiznae.

"Yumi's right, Sis." Shia stated with a smile on her face.

Yosaki and Shiznae nodded their heads in agreeance to Yumi's statement. Overwhelmed with emotion, the only thing that Yuki could do was to tearfully embrace Yumi for making such an impactful statement.

"Thank you so much, sweetie. That means a lot to me and if your Daddy were here he would have been very proud of you." Yuki stated while still in the embrace with Yumi.

"I know, Mommy." Yumi stated as she was wiping off the tears in Yuki's face.

Then another familiar face peered through the door and Yumi proceeded to hug the person once she recognized him.

"My you've gotten a little taller since I saw you last, Yumi." Hiruzen stated with a calm tone.

"I sure have, Professor-san." Yumi stated with a smile on her face.

"Any word yet on when the rest of the residents of the area are supposed to evacuate down here, Sarutobi-Sensei?" Tsunade asked out of curiosity.

"Well I just got intel from Shikaku and Inoichi stating that the evacuation is going to be within the next few hours, Tsunade. So, Mikoto and the others that Tetsuya wanted us to bring are starting up the rations for food and drinks as we speak." Hiruzen replied with an honest tone.

"What will we do with Minato and Kushina once they get down here? I mean let's not forget with Tetsuya not being down here by his own family to defend them since the entire situation is based on him defending all of us here. Also, they have Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and the rest of his friends down here visiting including Kakashi and Guy." Tsunade stated with an anxious look on her face.

"Don't worry, Tsunade. It's simple we just put Minato and Kushina with Yuki and her family here while Naruto and the others will be our extra manpower maintaining the bunker." Hiruzen replied with a calm tone.

Tsunade felt relieved once she heard the response that her sensei gave her since it gave her one less thing to worry about. However, Tsunade and Hiruzen noticed that Yuki and her family were making the room spacious and habitable since they understood that it will be a long time before they can ever head back home; so, they decided to head back towards the bunker's command center to see the latest intel.

Once Tsunade and Hiruzen had made it to the command center, they saw that Shikaku and Inoichi were getting up to take a few steps away from their posts. This had raised some suspicion until Tsunade noticed the calm looks on both Shikaku and Inoichi's faces. Suddenly, a flash had appeared in the form of two figures standing right near the command post. Upon taking a closer look to see who it was, Tsunade and Hiruzen had natural looks on their faces.

"So, the legendary Yellow Flash of the Leaf and his wife show up in grand style. Just like old times." Shikaku stated with a smirk on his face.

"Minato, Kushina. Surprised to see all of us here in a secret bunker?" Inoichi asked upon greeting Minato and Kushina.

"We are by the slightest, you know. What exactly is going on?" Kushina asked out of curiosity.

"Minato and Kushina. There is something I think we need to show you first before we explain everything that's going on here. Come follow me and Sarutobi-Sensei." Tsunade replied as she motioned for Minato and Kushina to follow her and Hiruzen.

Once Tsunade and Hiruzen brought Minato and Kushina to the doorway where Yuki, Yumi, and Yuki's family were in; Tsunade decided to knock on the door to see and someone had opened the door from the other side.

"Hi, Yumi. Guess who's here." Tsunade and Hiruzen said in unison once they saw Yumi opening the door.

"Mommy wake up. Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato are here." Yumi stated as she went to wake up Yuki and saw that Minato and Kushina were standing at the doorway.

A couple of seconds after Yuki woke up from her nap, she saw the same sight that Yumi did and had a gloomy look on her face while greeting Minato and Kushina. Then Yuki went back to her corner of the room to ponder a bit alone.

"What's wrong with your mother, Yumi?" Minato asked out of concern

"Don't worry, Yumi. It's okay just take your time in explaining everything to your aunt and uncle." Tsunade stated to Yumi who got a little concerned about Yuki as she brought Minato and Kushina inside the room while Hiruzen went back to the command center.

"Ok, the reason why all of us are down here in this bunker is because of something bad is going to invade the area and Daddy is going to stop it. You see he explained everything to me and Mommy a little while ago…" Yumi stated as she explained the situation to Minato and Kushina.

"Tetsuya?! My little brother. Why does it have to be this way? Why?" Kushina stated as she wept onto the ground which led to Minato comforting her.

"Come here, Kushina. I understand that the news was heartbreaking about Tetsuya but if we talk about all of the good times we had with him we won't miss him as much." Yuki stated as she waved for Kushina to come to her direction.

Once Kushina came and sat by Yuki, the two of them began to tearfully embrace and began to reminisce the good times they had with Tetsuya, so they wouldn't get depressed. This put a big smile on Minato and Yumi's faces while they noticed that Tsunade had left once the embrace had been done with. However, the rest of Yuki's family had just returned from getting a couple days' worth of food and drink when they saw the embrace and greeted both Minato and Kushina.

"I don't know where we will be staying at in this bunker, Minato. You know." Kushina stated out of curiosity.

"Aunt Kushina, you don't have to worry about that because you and Uncle Minato are going to be staying here with us." Yumi replied with a smile on her face.

"How do you know this, Yumi?" Yuki asked with a suspicious look on her face.

"Well I overheard Tsunade-san and Professor-san talking about it like an hour ago. Uhm. That's what I get for eavesdropping in grown-up conversations." Yumi stated with a nervous look on her face.

"I admire your honesty, Yumi, sweetie. Next time don't try to overhear an important conversation that doesn't pertain to you, ok." Yuki stated as she rubbed Yumi's head.

"Ok, Mommy. I'll try to work on that next time." Yumi said as she gave a big smile to Yuki.

Despite that they were in the bunker, Yuki, Yumi and everyone that was around them didn't know if it was dark outside. Then it became very apparent when Yumi started to yawn and began to fall asleep on a nearby cot a couple of minutes after her conversation with Yuki and everyone else in the room. Suddenly, Yuki decided to sprawl up next to Yumi and began to fall asleep just a short time later.

Minato then took a seat at the nearby lounging table with Kushina deciding to join him. Noticing the gloomy look on Kushina's face, Minato had brought a cup of tea for Kushina to make her feel better.

"Oh, thank you, Minato. The tea is helping me a little but still…." Kushina said after taking a sip of tea.

"You're still saddened about Tetsuya and his perilous mission. Aren't you, Kushina?" Minato asked in a calm tone.

"Yes, I am, Minato. I don't understand why he is sacrificing himself to do protect this area." Kushina stated as she was about to tear up.

Before Minato could say another word, he notices two familiar faces standing at the doorway and decided to pull up two chairs to bring to the lounge table.

"Hi, Mom and Dad. I can explain everything why Uncle Tetsuya is defending this area and the reason for this bunker being here." Naruto stated as he popped into the room.

"Naruto and Hinata?!" Minato and Kushina said in unison after Naruto and Hinata took a seat on the empty chairs.

"Oh, hello, Minato and Lady Kushina. How long have Yuki, Yumi, and their family been sleeping there?" Hinata asked out of curiosity.

"Not even a few minutes, Hinata. We can chit-chat about other things in a second, you know. But more importantly, Naruto, what was the last thing that your uncle told you before you got teleported here?" Kushina said with an anxious look on her face.

"Well Uncle Tetsuya told me and Hinata that the reason he was defending this area is because of an old enemy from one of his adventures back during his time in exile is coming to strike here in a form of revenge. Also, he had explained everything to Aunt Yuki and Yumi about the truth of our way of life and his connection to it. Then he stated that the talk he had back at the noodle store about us watching over Aunt Yuki and Yumi in case if something bad ever bad happened to him well he wasn't kidding about that and wanted us to do that now." Naruto replied with a calm tone in his voice.

"So, that explains everything and why your uncle has been the way he has these past few days. What happened to everyone else in your group once you got teleported here?" Minato asked after reacting to Naruto's response.

"Well they all went to their separate rooms here in the bunker after we first got here; then for Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Ino they all went to reunite with their parents in their perspective areas of the bunker. Then me and Naruto got told by the Third Hokage that we were to be rooming here with you guys." Hinata responded with a calm tone.

Once the conversation was over, a knock was heard on the door in which Minato decided to answer it since Kushina was talking to Naruto and Hinata. Upon opening the door, Minato saw that it was Kakashi, Obito, and Mikoto with food trays in which they placed on the lounge table.

"How are Yuki and Yumi holding up, Minato-Sensei?" Kakashi and Obito asked in unison.

"To tell you the truth, they have been dealing with this situation kind of rough to be honest. Tetsuya doing all this kind of reminds of the day that Naruto was born when me and Kushina sacrificed ourselves for the village. I can sense it in Yuki especially that she's struggling to keep her composure." Minato responded while he began to look at Yuki and Yumi who were beginning to wake up.

"We understand now, Sensei. Well we better get back to making more food deliveries since everyone in the area is officially down here in the bunker and assorted into rooms." Kakashi stated while he motioned for Obito and Mikoto to leave the room.

A few seconds after Kakashi, Obito, and Mikoto left the room is when Yuki began to wake up her parents and sister upon noticing the food that was on the lounge table. Once the Sakagami family was awake, they along with Yuki and Yumi began to greet Naruto and Hinata whom they didn't notice was sitting right by the lounge table. After greeting each other is when everyone in the room began to eat the food that was delivered to them.

"What is it, Minato?" Kushina asked after taking a bite of her meal.

That was when Minato decided to tell Kushina the conversation he had with Kakashi and Obito especially with the part on finding out that everyone in the area is now officially in the bunker. This didn't surprise Kushina because she explained to Minato that she overheard Mikoto telling her, Naruto, and Hinata the same thing earlier while she was dropping off food. Suddenly the news felt a little bit relieving for everyone in the room.

"Sorry that you guys overheard our conversation, you know." Kushina stated with a nervous tone after taking another bite.

"It's nothing to be sorry about, Aunt Kushina. Just now that everyone in town is down here in a safe bunker would make things easier for everybody. Am I right?" Yumi stated after taking her last bite of her meal.

"Yes, it's kind of does, Yumi." Kushina replied with a gloomy tone.

Suddenly Yuki and Kushina to take their chairs after they got done with their last bites and put them in a far corner of the room. This shocked everyone because they thought Yuki and Kushina would be in a positive frame of mind. Yumi took this as though she thought she had done something wrong and put her head down.

"Was it something I said that drove Mommy and Aunt Kushina away?" Yumi asked in a sad tone.

"No not at all, Yumi. I think the situation that is surrounding with your father is causing emotional pain for your mother and aunt. Remember they love you very much and want to see you happy." Minato replied before rubbing on Yumi's head.

"Thank you, Uncle Minato." Yumi stated as she hugged Minato.

Then Yuki and Kushina turned around to see the loving sight before them which turned their frowns into smiles. Suddenly Yumi saw the smiles that Yuki and Kushina were showing which she went into their direction to begin hugging them. "_You don't have to worry about a thing, Tetsuya, my old friend. Yumi is just like you. So, defend the area just like me and Kushina defended a village from a catastrophe. I know you can do it. We have got everything covered here in the bunker._" Minato thought to himself while looking at the sight of everyone in the room.


	9. The Invasion: Tetsuya v Tatsu!

A day had passed since Tetsuya had evacuated everyone in the area in someway down to the bunker and he began to walk around all over the place for a sign of his old foe, Tatsu. While taking breaks from his search, Tetsuya would find a bench which would give him the strongest telekinetic signal to the base back at the bunker.

"_How's everyone holding up down there in the bunker?"_ Tetsuya stated as he was talking to Shikaku and Inoichi through thoughts.

"_Everybody's doing fine down here, Tetsuya. We've got everything under control._" Shikaku replied.

"_That's good to hear. Well I just wanted to touch base before heading out in my perilous mission._" Tetsuya stated before he wanted to end the telekinetic conversation.

"_Wait, Tetsuya. We're starting to pick up a very unusual amount of energy coming north of where you're standing now. Is that?"_ Inoichi stated briefly.

"_Yes, that's the energy signature of my old foe who goes by the name, Tatsu. I better get off now before he senses your guys presence revealing everyone's hideout. Tell everyone to get into their prospective rooms immediately and it's not a drill._" Tetsuya stated to Shikaku and Inoichi once he sensed Tatsu's aura was in the area.

Once Shikaku let his hand off Inoichi's head, he proceeded to make the announcement for all the people that were in the bunker that they were to remain in their rooms just like Tetsuya had instructed him to do. Then one by one, Hiruzen made sure all the doors were shut and that everyone that was assigned to into each room was accounted for while Tsunade looked on. "_So, it has begun_." Tsunade thought to herself as she and Hiruzen were walking back to the command post of the bunker.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya traveled about a half-mile north of the bench to notice the first sign of Tatsu's unearthing damage to the area. Upon looking at what used to be the Sakagami Bakery, Tetsuya began to feel a little bit furious and his powers began to kick on. Then he began to sense Tatsu's aura coming from the left of the ruins of the bakery. That is when Tetsuya decided to follow the trial until he saw the second and final major sign of Tatsu's damage to the area: most of the shopping district had been destroyed.

As he was about to do an extensive search of the shopping district, Tetsuya began to hear a sinister laugh creeping on the front steps to the ruined building right in front of him. Upon taking a closer look at the figure, Tetsuya recognized who it was and began to clench his fists.

"Well, well, if it isn't the great Tetsuya Uzumaki. Famed shinobi or should I say Six Path's little indentured servant? After all isn't that what your petty clan was made for in the first place to be servants or used as vessels while in the living world." Tatsu stated as he stepped outside of the ruined building.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK, TATSU. BESIDES YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR ALL THE DAMAGE THAT YOU'VE ALREADY DONE IN THIS AREA." Tetsuya stated in an angry tone.

"Damage? Damage? Oh, you mean all of this and that petty little bakery that I destroyed as a side stop once I came here. I knew that you would get your attention, Tetsuya. After all you were the one that brought me to the Pure Land many years ago. NOW THIS IS MY REVENGE AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO ME." Tatsu stated with declaration in his voice.

Then a grave battle ensued between Tetsuya and Tatsu had ensued right there in the middle of the wrecked part of the shopping district. Tatsu used destructive attacks which Tetsuya found a way to successfully counter them. The battle was still raging on before a Six Path's ball that was hovering a few feet from Tetsuya and Tatsu had vanished suddenly.

Meanwhile, Yumi who had been laying in her cot in the room of the bunker was appalled at the fact that a dark ball had magically appeared right in front of her. Not knowing what to do since most of the people in her room were all taking naps, Yumi took the dark ball with her and decided to show it to Naruto and Minato who were the only ones up.

"I haven't seen a ball like that since the day your father came up here to the Pure Land, Yumi." Minato stated after taking a further inspection of the dark ball.

"Hold on a second, Dad. You're right this looks like the ball from Six Path's energy source." Naruto saying his opinion after his inspection of the dark ball.

"Cousin Naruto and Uncle Minato. Why would something like this be doing down here in the first place? I mean we aren't to leave to the room." Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"What's all of the commotion about?" Yuki asked once she got up and decided to wake everyone else up.

"Yumi had found this dark ball appearing out of nowhere; me and Naruto had just figured a possibility of what it is and where it came from, Yuki." Minato replied with a calm tone.

Before anyone in the room could say anything, the dark ball began to break open which was revealed to be a holding pod for a familiar face: The Sage of the Six Paths.

"Wait a minute, you're the entity that was in Tetsuya's psyche the other day." Yuki said in a surprised look on her face.

"That is correct, Yuki. There are a couple of reasons why I am summoned to your guys location." The Sage responded back before two of his orbs were placed in front of everyone.

"Sage, how's Tetsuya doing?" Minato asked on the behalf of everyone in the room.

"How to put this lightly well these orbs are for everyone here to see that Tetsuya is in the middle of a brutal fight with old foe, Tatsu. However, before the battle started Tetsuya had witnessed some of the damage that Tatsu did and it caused a lot of dismay for him." The Sage replied while touching the orbs.

However, Yuki and the others were pondering on what the second reason that the Sage had been referring to until he specifically looked at Yumi. This bewildered Yuki a little and had to come up with something even she thought was hesitant to ask the Sage. Once she had the courage to think of something, the unthinkable had showed up on the orb. The battle showed Tetsuya getting pierced by a last-ditch effort attack from Tatsu who had now succumbed from all eternity by Tetsuya.

After seeing the gruesome sight, tears began to drip down the faces of everyone in the room except the Sage. Suddenly, the Sage gets an urgent telepathic contact from Tetsuya. "_Sage…bring my wife and daughter to me. I…...don't…. know...how…...much…. time...I. Have…. left…...and…..tell…them…of…. the…prohec…"_ Tetsuya told the Sage before he faded into a coma-like state which was seen through the orb.

"Yuki and Yumi, hop on the orb." The Sage motioned for Yuki and Yumi to come forward.

"Wh... Where's it going to take to us?" Yumi asked once she and Yuki got on the orb with the Sage on tow.

"It will take you straight to where your father's at, young Yumi. Hmm...something's troubling you, Yuki." The Sage said in a calm tone.

"How come it's us and what was the second reason you were referring to earlier?" Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"Very well. Tetsuya's last words to me before escorting you guys to him is that he wanted me to tell you that you guys are the ones that can save him primarily Yumi. It was like a prophecy to him, but I knew it had been a unconditional seal he placed himself mentally on the one day that he was most happiest here in the Pure Land." The Sage replied honestly.

"You mean the day that Yumi was born?!" Yuki shockingly blurted out the answer.

"Yes, that's right Yuki. You see while you were resting right after Yumi was born Tetsuya had meditated me in private and requested for a seal to be placed on him that if he was ever to be hurt to the point of living world fatality that both you and your daughter's love would be strong enough to save him." The Sage stated once the pod was getting closer to Tetsuya's location.

The pod had safely landed about a hundred feet from where Tetsuya's body was; and then the Sage decided to revert the pod back into one of his orbs after Yuki and Yumi got off the pod safely. Once they got closer to Tetsuya's unconscious body, Yuki and Yumi were horrified to see all the blood that was surrounding the massive wound on Tetsuya's abdomen and face. That was when the tears began to flow down on both Yuki and Yumi's faces once they made it to where Tetsuya's body had been.

"Daddy...come on you got to wake up, please." Yumi stated as she was about to lay her tear driven head on Tetsuya's torso.

"I don't want to lose you in an eternal comatose state, my love. Please you mean so much to everybody here. You just got to wake up, Tetsuya. We all love you very much." Yuki stated as she got down on her knees right next to Yumi with tears still in her eyes.

Suddenly, the tears that were coming out of Yumi and Yuki had begun to wipe away all the bleeding from Tetsuya's body and scar tissue was forming on his abdomen. Then Yumi began to feel something touching the back of her head and decided to look at the direction of Tetsuya's face. This got Yuki's attention as well because she and Yumi couldn't be happier at the sight that they were seeing.

"Yumi, sweetie...and...Yuki. Is...it...really...you...guys?" Tetsuya stated as he was slowly getting out of his comatose state.

"DADDY! You're back." Yumi stated with tears of joy.

"I am very happy that you came back to us, my love. We almost lost you." Yuki stated with a tearful kiss on the forehead and hug on Tetsuya's torso.

"Well, I am going inform someone that's down in the bunker that about your heroic deeds being a success and to let them out of there immediately. In the meantime, the mess that Tatsu had made will be wiped away quickly and every building which was destroyed will be back in order with a quick tap of my staff. Also, the tap will teleport you guys back to your home, so Tetsuya can get rest and begin his retirement from the Pure Land Guardians." The Sage stated as he was about to tap his staff onto the ground.

After the Sage of the Six Paths tapped his staff onto the ground, the damage that was done on in the area by Tatsu's invasion was undone and Tetsuya, Yuki, Yumi were all teleported safely back in the apartment. However, Yuki was baffled on something and by that point Tetsuya had fully regained consciousness but still had to be bed-ridden for his injuries to fully heal.

"Yuki, something's on your mind. What is it?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Well it's something that the Sage said right before his staff teleported us home. I mean did you really want to retire from being a Pure Land Guardian." Yuki replied with a gloomy look on her face.

"Yes, this was something I was planning on doing for quite sometimes you see... Hold on a second, Yuki. Yumi, I know you're out in the hallway eavesdropping, so you better come in here. Anyways, where was I, you see I had planned on retiring whenever my successor as Pure Land Guardian was chosen or when I saw it fit. But when news of Tatsu's invasion came up, I had confided in the Sage to make this my final defense as Pure Land Guardian before he told Naruto that he was going to be my successor since that was the reason why I held the position for as long as I did. Besides with me as a retired Guardian and have no more debts to give to the Sage, I can be at peace." Tetsuya stated with a smile on his face.

"Daddy, you mean that you retired the Guardian thing for who I think it is?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"That's right, sweetie. I did it, so I could try to spend a lot of time with the two most important people in my life: You and Mommy." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

"Tetsuya, you do that for me and Yumi is quite noble of you. For that I'm proud of you just like how I was with Yumi back at the bunker being good for Minato, Kushina, and my family." Yuki said while holding back tears.

"Oh, Yumi was a good girl for Aunt Kushina, Uncle Minato, and everyone else that you guys had to room with. I'd wish to hear more but not unless Yumi takes a bath first." Tetsuya said with a calm tone.

"Ok, Daddy. I'll tell you more about me and Mommy's time in the bunker later." Yumi stated as she was heading towards her bedroom to get her nightwear before heading into the bathroom.

"I guess I'll go ahead and start making dinner while Yumi's in the bath, then. Do you need anything before I head into the kitchen, my love?" Yuki asked before getting up from the bedroom floor.

"Well there is one thing..." Tetsuya replied right before giving Yuki a kiss and laying back down.

Then Yuki proceeded to head towards the kitchen to make dinner; and on the way there she notices Yumi who just got out of the bathroom all dressed in her nightwear started to feel a bit gloomy. This is when Yuki had the idea of having Yumi help assist her in cooking dinner.

"Yumi, sweetie, what's the matter?" Yuki asked her daughter while they were pulling out the ingredients from the refrigerator.

"It's seeing Daddy being bedridden is what's making me sad, Mommy." Yumi replied right before a tear started to come down her right eye.

"I know, sweetie. But we must do our best to help your father one day get back on his feet again. You think we can do it?" Yuki asked as she rubbed Yumi's head and wiped the tear off her face.

"Yes, Mommy. We can do it." Yumi answered with a smile on her face.

So, Yuki and Yumi proceeded to make a decent portion of pork cutlets and rice for dinner, with Yuki carrying Tetsuya's plate all the way to their bedroom. However, Yumi whispered to Yuki if she could eat in there as well which Yuki nodded with a smile on her face and followed her into the bedroom.

"Hmm...the food smells delicious." Tetsuya said once he noticed Yuki entering the bedroom with a dinner plate in her hand.

"It should be, my love, since it's one of your favorites. Alright, Yumi don't make a big mess in here ok." Yuki stated once she put her and Tetsuya's plate on the table right next to the bed.

"Ok, Mommy." Yumi said once she entered the bedroom with her dinner plate.

"Yumi, is something bothering you?" Tetsuya asked noticing the wiped tear from Yumi's face.

"Well Daddy I don't know how to say what's bothering me without upsetting you." Yumi stated with a gloomy look upon taking a bite of her meal.

"Yumi, sweetie, is it ok if I explained your father that little talk we had earlier back in the kitchen?" Yuki asked Yumi halfway through the dinner.

"Hmm-hmm." Yumi replied.

"Tetsuya, the thing that's been bothering Yumi is that she is starting to feel really sad about seeing you in the state that you're in right now. So, I explained to her that we were going to our best to help you out until you can gain the ability to walk properly again." Yuki said in a calm tone towards Tetsuya.

"Oh, Yumi. It's not your fault that I ended up like this. All I want to see is the brave young girl with the brave smile that once told me that she wanted to be like me one day in helping others back." Tetsuya said to Yumi who still had the gloomy look on her face.

"Daddy, thank you for cheering me up. I just don't know how to help you out." Yumi stated as she hugged Tetsuya.

"No problem, sweetie. Well the basic thing to do is just follow around on what Mommy does." Tetsuya stated while in the hug with Yumi and his face looking at Yuki.

Yumi had a baffled look on her face until Yuki nodded her head in agreeance to Tetsuya's statement. Then Tetsuya proceeded to finish his meal and Yuki with Yumi by her side picked up all the dishes in the bedroom and headed to the kitchen to clean the dishes.

"Mommy, what did Daddy mean by following you around earlier?" Yumi asked Yuki while she was in the middle of putting away the dinner dishes.

"Yumi, sweetheart, your father meant by that is watch what I do. I have helped healed your dad when he got himself into serious trouble right before we got married. But I was a different person back then." Yuki replied as she handed a dish to Yumi.

"What do you mean, Mommy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, I'll never forget the first time I helped your father get better. It was right after your Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato moved into the area, me and your father were fixing to head back home from eating dinner at Saki and Shiza's before hearing a ruckus at your aunt and uncle's. Your father being the very cautious person he was back then towards your aunt and uncle decided to head over there. Well it turned out that your aunt and uncle were arguing, when your father saw your aunt in the house crying and found out about the argument he went to search for your uncle..." Yuki replied with a sigh underneath her breath.

"You mean the story that Shiza told me was true about later on how you and she had to carry Daddy back home after his fight with Uncle Minato?" Yumi stated in disbelief.

"Yes, it is true, sweetheart. That moment even while I tried to take care of your father caused me a lot of tears because it was the first time I had ever seen him deeply hurt." Yuki answered as she handed the last dish to Yumi.

"Mommy, I'm sorry if I..." Yumi said right before Yuki placed her hand on Yumi's head.

"It's ok, Yumi. We better go spend some time with your father or else he might have gotten bored." Yuki said with a smile on her face.

Yumi nodded her head yes before following Yuki into the master bedroom of the apartment.

"Sorry if it took us a bit long with the dishes, my love." Yuki stated in a nervous tone upon entering the bedroom.

"Oh, that's ok, dear. I just got a message just two minutes ago saying that everyone is out of the bunker and back in their perspective homes. Knowing the gut feeling I have either your family or Kushina will be contacting us very shortly." Tetsuya said with a sigh under his breath.

"That's good news, Daddy. You asked me earlier about me and Mommy's time in the bunker. Is it a good time to tell you?" Yumi asked with a calm look on her face.

"Yes, Yumi." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

"Ok, I was well-behaved and did everything that Mommy, Uncle Minato, and everyone I was roomed with. I ended up being brave through the entire thing by explaining what you told me and Mommy beforehand when I was needed to. I tried to help keep Mommy and Aunt Kushina's spirits up while we were down in the bunker. But when I messed up on that, Uncle Minato was there to help me make sure I was doing the right thing." Yumi said with a big smile on her face.

"You know what, sweetie?" Tetsuya asked after hearing Yumi's tale.

"Yes, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of concern.

"I'm very proud of you for everything that you just told me." Tetsuya stated with a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Daddy." Yumi stated as she was wiping tears that were coming down her face.

A few seconds later, Yuki's phone goes off and upon recognizing who the number that was trying to contact her is when she answered the call to put it on speaker phone.

"Hi, Yuki. So how are you and Yumi holding up, you know?" Kushina asked once the call began.

"We are doing ok, Kushina. When did you and Minato get back home?" Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"We got back like ten minutes ago. But my world's never going to be the same again after what we saw back there in that orb. I just don't know how I can assume everything's going to be ok despite that my little brother is gone." Kushina replied as she was getting ready to cry profusely on the phone.

Based on what he just heard, Tetsuya whispered into Yuki's ear an idea that would be unforgettable.

"Kushina, why don't you come by the apartment for a visit?" Yuki asked on her end of the phone conversation.

"Ok, I'll come right over. See you in a few minutes." Kushina stated right before she hung up the phone.

Tetsuya felt a sigh of relief that his relayed idea to Yuki paid off. Then Yuki got up to head into the kitchen to prepare a pitcher of tea. However, Yumi decided to keep Tetsuya company in which he didn't mind it at all.

Once Yuki had finished making the pitcher of tea, a knock was made on the apartment door in which she answered right away.

"Ah, you made it, Kushina. Come inside." Yuki stated after opening the door for Kushina.

"Oh, why thank you, Yuki. Where's Yumi at?" Kushina asked out of curiosity.

"She's in my bedroom if you want to go see her." Yuki answered in a calm tone.

"Ok..." Kushina stated as she was about to head in the direction of the bedroom.

Kushina once she was a few feet from the bedroom door notices that Yumi was walking up to her with the notion that she wanted to hold her hand. To Kushina this was a bit eerie since she would go out of her way to a hold a person's hand when they extended it out instead of the other way around. Then Kushina and Yumi walked to the front of the bedroom door in which was the moment when Yumi let go of Kushina's hand.

"What's the matter, Aunt Kushina?" Yumi asked out of concern.

"It can't be... That just can't be. I...watched you get pierced on the orb from a fatal wound. Is...it...really...you...my...little brother?" Kushina stated with a pool tears in seeing Tetsuya.

"Yes, it's me, Sis." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

Suddenly Kushina had a very tearful embrace with Tetsuya.

"It...makes...me...very happy that you came back to us, little brother." Kushina stated as her crying started to stop.

Once Kushina made that statement, Yuki entered the bedroom with a plate containing glasses of tea and Yumi followed right behind her to make sure none of the glasses feel. Before Yuki could hand Tetsuya and Kushina their glasses of tea, she could hear a knock coming from the front door. Tetsuya had a hunch on who would be at the front door.

"Yumi, sweetie. Can you go grab another cup from the kitchen and bring it in here?" Tetsuya asked Yumi who was bewildered on his facial expression.

"Ok, Daddy. I will do that for you." Yumi stated with a smile on her face before getting up from her spot.

By the time Yumi left the room, Kushina had looked at Tetsuya with a suspicious look on her face.

"I think he's here wanting to see you as well, little brother. You know." Kushina said once her suspicious look started to go away.

"That's true, Sis. Besides I think he might have known where you went and wanted to see if you were alright as well just like old times. After all he is my best friend and brother-in-law." Tetsuya said with a calm tone.

"Oh, you're right about that well I will be right back to greet him, ok." Kushina said with a calm tone.

"Alright, Sis." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

Then Kushina got up and went into the living room where Yuki was standing up talking to a familiar face who just entered the apartment. It ended up being none other than Minato. Before Kushina could make her way to greet her husband, she walked around Yumi who was on her way back from doing Tetsuya's requested errand.

"Hi, Minato. Sorry that I didn't contact you once I immediately..." Kushina said with a guilt look on her face.

"It's ok, Kushina. Once Yuki told me that you were here I felt relieved." Minato said after hugging Kushina.

"You were relived, Minato?! I don't understand." Kushina asked with a curious look on her face.

"To tell you the truth, after what happened with the situation regarding Tetsuya. It had me reflecting back to the moment when I first saved you and the time when we officially came up to the Pure Land." Minato answered with a calm tone.

"I know, Minato. But it's not your fault for what happened though. Besides me and Yuki have something to show you if you follow us." Kushina stated with a sigh.

Minato then followed Kushina and Yuki to the bedroom. Once they got into the bedroom, Minato was baffled to see Tetsuya in his current state.

"So, you came back to all us, Tetsuya. How long will it take before you can walk properly again?" Minato asked out of curiosity.

"Well it might take me some time so I'm not sure on an exact date though. Oh, Yumi, sweetie, don't get sad please." Tetsuya responded before noticing Yumi having a gloomy look on her face.

"I'm trying my best not to, Daddy. But it's that my routine is going to be messed up for a while until you get all better which is why I'm sad." Yumi said with a sad tone.

"Oh. I understand, sweetie. Well we can figure out the new routine and try sticking to it until I am hundred percent better." Tetsuya stated with a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Daddy." Yumi said while hugging Tetsuya.

"Yumi, sweetie. How come your mother hasn't came back from the kitchen yet?" Tetsuya asked out of concern.

"I don't know, Daddy. But I'll go find out for you." Yumi replied as she was about to leave the bedroom.

While Yumi was leaving the bedroom, she started to have a curious look as to why Yuki never went back there after Kushina and Minato arrived in the apartment. Then Tetsuya who noticed his daughter's look and put a sigh of relief before turning his attention to Kushina and Minato.

"Tetsuya, little brother. Just how would Yumi's little routine get messed up while you're in this state." Kushina said out of curiosity.

"Sis, well the thing is that Yumi likes it whenever I take her to school and pick her up from there after school gets out. I mean there have been a few times where I let her teacher know ahead of time that I wouldn't be able to pick her up. On the days those happen just like the one when I had help prepare safety precautions for the invasion and you guys showing Naruto's friends the area is when Yumi tends to get upset towards either me or Yuki but mainly me." Tetsuya stated with a calm look on his face.

"So, has Yumi ever been dropped off or picked up from school by anyone other than you and Yuki, family-wise?" Minato asked out of curiosity.

"Not quite, Minato. However, that is something I've tried to ask Yosaki or Shiznae in the past, but they were ok with it until Yumi threw a fit back in kindergarten and which she wanted only me to do that errand. Since this time is a bit different and she is starting to understand the circumstances behind this decision." Tetsuya replied with a calm look.

"Ok. Tetsuya, so what are you exactly proposing on doing?" Kushina asked out of curiosity.

"Well, I was planning on seeing if either you or Minato would pick Yumi up here to drop her off at the school and regarding who would be dropping her off here after school could be either you guys or someone in Yuki's family if that's alright with them. You must have heard everything I said just now didn't you, Yuki." Tetsuya replied while noticing that Yuki had made it into the bedroom.

"Yes, I did, and I think my family were on board with it since I just got off the phone with them and were concerned about that after I told them what happened once we made it back home." Yuki said with a curious look on her face.

Before anyone in the bedroom could say anything, Yumi entered the room with a bland look on her face. This caused immediate concern on the faces of both Tetsuya and Yuki who were still conceding the fact they found a temporary change to Yumi's routine.

"Yumi, sweetheart. What's the matter?" Yuki asked with the upmost concern tone.

"I'm scared about trying out this new idea that you and Daddy were talking about. Sorry for overhearing everything." Yumi replied with a sad tone on her face.

"Sweetie, I promise you that you have nothing to be afraid of with this idea, ok. I mean you have your Aunt Kushina or Uncle Minato drop you off at school and possibly pick you up if Saki, Shiza, or Aunt Shia end up doing it. Besides it's only to going to be like this until I get fully healed and then it will be back to the usual routine." Tetsuya stating in a supportive way.

"Ok, Daddy. I will try out this idea for you and Mommy." Yumi said while regaining a smile on her face.

Then Kushina and Minato proceeded to leave the apartment but not before saying goodbye to Tetsuya and his family.

"I think it's getting way past for somebody's bedtime." Yuki said while looking at Yumi.

"Ok, Mommy. But can I bring my pillow and blanket in here?" Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"It's fine with me, Yumi." Yuki replied with a smile on her face.

Then Yumi went into her bedroom to get her pillow and blanket to come right back into Tetsuya and Yuki's bedroom.

"Good night, Mommy and Daddy. I love you." Yumi stated to Yuki and Tetsuya before she fell asleep.

"Good night, Yumi." Tetsuya stated with a smile on his face.


	10. Yumi's Worrisome Day at School

The following morning is when Yuki got up to make sure that Yumi was ready for the school day. Once she had made it to Yumi's bedroom, Yuki was a bit amazed to see that Yumi was already prepared.

"Wow, Yumi. How long did it take you to get ready? I mean it won't be for another half hour before your aunt or uncle get here to take you to school." Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"It didn't take me long at all, Mommy. Is Daddy awake yet?" Yumi replied with a question of her own.

"No, sweetheart. Your father is still sleeping. I think he will be resting for a while after everything that happened in the past couple of days." Yuki said in a calm tone.

"Ok, Mommy. Also, it sounds like someone's at the front door." Yumi stated as she heard the front door knocking.

This prompted Yumi to get her schoolbag from out of her bedroom and Yuki to check to see who was at the front door. Once Yuki opened the door to see that Minato, Kushina and Tsunade were standing there she let them inside.

"I'll be the one taking you to school today, Yumi. Are you ready?" Minato asked with a smile on his face.

"Yes, Uncle Minato." Yumi replied in a calm tone.

"Have a good day at school, Yumi, sweetheart." Yuki stated once Yumi was about to step out of the apartment.

"Ok, Mommy I will. Hope you and Daddy have a good day." Yumi said to Yuki with a smile on her face before catching up with Minato.

Then Yuki had a smile on her face upon hearing that statement before shutting the apartment door. After pouring glasses of tea for Tsunade and Kushina, Yuki offered the ladies a seat at the dining room table.

"Yuki, Kushina here sort of explained to me the current state that Tetsuya's in. If you want me to I can try to heal Tetsuya for you and Yumi's sake?" Tsunade asked with a curious tone.

"Yes, anything that will help get Tetsuya back on his feet and out of being bedridden for all of eternity." Yuki said with a pleading tone and tear down on her face in which Kushina wiped off right away.

"Alright, just to let you know that it may take a while since the areas I have to heal on Tetsuya are vast." Tsunade stated after finishing her tea.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade. So, when do you want to start the healing treatment or process on Tetsuya?" Kushina asked out of curiosity.

"As soon as he is awake, and we get his full cooperation on this process." Tsunade said with a stern voice.

It wasn't long after Tsunade gave that response when all three women heard a yawn coming from Tetsuya and Yuki's bedroom. That was when Yuki decided to get up from her seat and went to see if Tetsuya was awake. Then Kushina and Tsunade took a few steps behind Yuki in the hallway.

"Good morning, my love." Yuki stated as she saw Tetsuya wake up from his slumber.

"Good morning, Yuki. I thought I heard voices coming from the apartment. Also, where is Yumi?" Tetsuya asked after he stopped yawning.

"Yumi should be nearing school by now since her and Minato left about a half hour ago. Also, the other voices you might have heard my love would have been your sister and your sensei." Yuki replied in an honest tone.

"Oh, dang it. I overslept. Now I feel guilty." Tetsuya said with a gloomy look on his face.

"There's nothing to be sad about, little brother. You know." Kushina stated as she and Tsunade stepped into the bedroom.

"I don't quite understand, Sis. I have some right to feel sad is because of my situation and how it has impacted the people I love very dearly." Tetsuya said with clarity in his voice.

"All of us here understand the trauma that you've had to endure, Tetsuya. But don't let that cloud your judgement or keep your emotions at bay. Besides there is something that I've talked over with Yuki and Kushina here which they're all on board with it." Tsunade said with a calm look on her face.

"Thanks for the pep-talk, Sensei. However, what is this thing that you got Yuki and Kushina to agree with?" Tetsuya stated out of curiosity.

"Very well then, Yuki and Kushina have given me permission to be the person that will heal you from your injuries that you sustained causing you to be bedridden. The process will take a while in case if you were wondering." Tsunade replied with a calm tone.

"How can I ever thank you, Tsunade-Sensei? Anything for me to be walking around again and seeing my family happy again." Tetsuya stated as a tear was about to drip down his face.

"I have a question before the process begins. Would it be safe for Tetsuya to walk around with a walking stick say once you get done healing him?" Yuki asked Tsunade out of curiosity.

"Hmm...I would highly recommend it, Yuki. You see when it comes to healing a person's legs they might lose balance if they attempt to walk regularly after their injury is fully healed. I remember that Sarutobi-Sensei told me that he gave Tetsuya a walking stick as a gift a long time ago. Why don't you go find it while I start healing Tetsuya?" Tsunade said as she noticed Yuki was getting ready to pillage through the bedroom closet.

Once Yuki found the walking that Tsunade was referring to, she then placed it right next to the bed. So, with that Tsunade began the process of healing the lower half of Tetsuya's body while Yuki and Kushina looked on with intent. "_I hope you're doing ok, Yumi, sweetheart._" Yuki thought to herself about Yumi while watching Tetsuya getting healed.

Meanwhile, Yumi and Minato were at the front gates to Yumi's school to see that Kyou, Yumi's homeroom teacher was standing there along with her aide waiting for Yumi to show up. It was in that moment that Yumi gave her uncle a goodbye before being escorted into the school by her homeroom aide.

"How's Yuki holding up? Because I heard about what happened to Tetsuya." Kyou asked out of curiosity.

"She is doing a bit better. Also, Tetsuya came out of his comatose state and was in bad shape to the point that last night when I saw him that he was bedridden." Minato replied with a sigh.

"Are they going to do something for Tetsuya?" Kyou asked out of concern.

"Yes, actually I think as of right now his mentor is in the process of healing him so that he can walk upright again. Sorry to keep you here but can you do me one favor? I know Tetsuya and Yuki would especially appreciate it." Minato said with a calm tone.

"Sure, what is it?" Kyou stated in a calm manner.

"We know that this situation has impacted Yumi very dearly..." Minato stating his case before a bell rang.

"I will keep a close eye on Yumi for their sake." Kyou said before she was making her way into the school grounds.

Then Minato proceeded to leave the school grounds while Kyou went inside to the classroom where she teaches at. Kyou noticed right away that her aide had begun taking roll call with her students taking their assigned seats. However, Kyou had taken a glimpse of Yumi's facial expression right after her name got called which drew a bit of concern and remembered the conversation she had with Minato earlier.

Once roll call was done and over with Kyou began writing down her lessons of the day to her students on the chalkboard. By the time she got done writing down her daily lesson, Kyou notices a student who was sitting a couple of seats away from Yumi raise his hand.

"Do you have a question that you would like to share to the class, Shido?" Kyou asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, Kyou-Sensei. Are these lessons make-up ones since we didn't have school for the past couple of days?" Shido replied out of curiosity.

"Yes, they are. Since there was nothing I could have done ahead of time in lesson planning for you guys. Sorry for the inconvenience." Kyou stated to her students.

Kyou began her lecture which lasted for four hours until the bell rang to signify a forty-five-minute lunch and recess break. As the students were leaving the classroom, Kyou noticed that Yumi was the only one who stayed behind, and this raised some concern.

"Yumi, aren't you going to eat lunch?" Kyou asked out of concern.

"No, Kyou-Sensei. I'm not that hungry, thank you." Yumi replied with a neutral look.

"Hmm...you've not been yourself today, Yumi.. I can probably tell why just by looking at you." Kyou stating while directly looking at Yumi all the way from her desk.

"I'm sorry...for not being me, sensei. It's just that everything that happened with my Daddy has got me..." Yumi said with a gloomy tone.

"It's ok, Yumi. I understand, your uncle told me everything this morning after dropping you off and to make sure you have nothing to worry about. Besides you know that arts and crafts is coming up here after lunch and maybe I thought this would give you an idea to make you feel better. Try making your dad a picture with get well on it." Kyou said with a smile on her face.

"Ok, Kyou-Sensei. I will try to draw a picture for my Daddy." Yumi stated as she gets a piece of paper and coloring utensils.

Then the bell rang signifying that the lunch period was over and all Yumi's fellow classmates were coming back into the classroom in a single file line with Kyou's aide right by their side. It was in that moment when Yumi stopped organizing the utensils she laid out on her desk to get ready for what Kyou was going to say.

"Okay, class. Now it's time for arts and crafts. The drawing that I want each of you guys to do today is picture of someone that you look up to. My aide here will pass out some paper and coloring utensils for you guys to use for this project." Kyou stated her lecture to the students with a smile on her face.

Then a couple of hours passed by with the final bell ringing and most of Kyou's students presented their drawings to her before they left school alongside Kyou's aide. However, Kyou notices that Yumi with her finished drawing was still sitting at her desk.

"Your aunt or uncle could be standing outside waiting for you, Yumi." Kyou stated out of concern.

"I know, Kyou-sensei. It's just that I went way overboard on the drawing and worry that my daddy would get the wrong message." Yumi said while looking at her drawing.

"I don't think so at all, Yumi. Knowing your father, it would make his day to see this drawing with that heartfelt message you wrote on there." Kyou said while escorting Yumi out of the classroom.

"Thank you, Kyou-sensei." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

While walking down the hallway near the front doors of the school, Yumi notices a flyer for an upcoming festival which turned her smile into a neutral look on her face. Kyou took notice of the same flyer and immediately realized the reason for the sudden change in Yumi's facial expression.

"You saw that the festival is a Father's Day theme, Yumi. You're seemed to be bothered by it." Kyou stating her concern while she and Yumi were at the front doors to the school.

"Well yes, Kyou-Sensei. It's that I do want to go to this festival just I don't know if my daddy will be ok with going despite everything that has happened to him." Yumi stated in a calm tone.

"I understand that, Yumi. But I believe that your father will think about going to this festival with you if you can tell him about because I know it will make him happy to hear about it." Kyou said in a reassuring tone.

"Ok, Thank you, Kyou-Sensei. It looks like my Aunt Kushina is here to come and pick me up. So, see you tomorrow." Yumi said while waving away to Kyou and opening the doors after seeing Kushina coming in their direction.

After giving Kushina a hug, Yumi noticed that her aunt wanted to talk with Kyou for a moment and so she stood at the entrance gates to the school to wait patiently.

"How's your brother doing? Because your husband told me that he was in the process of getting healed this morning when he dropped off Yumi." Kyou asked out of curiosity.

"Well Tsunade did successfully heal Tetsuya's legs and nervous system which lasted all morning and into the early afternoon hours. The thing is that Tetsuya has to walk around with a walking stick for a couple of weeks and then he should be walking back to normal, you know." Kushina replied with a smile on her face.

"That's good to hear, Kushina. In case if you see your brother and sister-in-law, tell them that Yumi had a decent day at school and there's a festival coming up that I recommend Tetsuya to consider about attending since Yumi knows all about it." Kyou said as she noticed Kushina getting ready to leave the school with Yumi.

"Ok, I will tell them all of that the next time I see them." Kushina said as she left the school.

Then Kushina alongside Yumi headed back for the apartment and along the way Yumi decided to show her aunt the drawing she made in school. This made a huge impression on Kushina after she gave Yumi back the drawing. "_That drawing is very special and will put a huge symbol of love and purity after everything all of us have gone through recently. Can't wait for you see it, little brother._" Kushina thought to herself with a smile on her face.

Once Yumi and Kushina had made it to the vicinity of the apartment complex, they saw that both Minato and Yuki were standing outside the apartment door waiting for them. Yumi then proceeded to hug Yuki before they went inside the apartment and Kushina along with Minato decided to follow them inside as well. After Yumi dropped off her school bag, she went into her parents' bedroom to greet Tetsuya with the drawing she made behind her back.

"Hi, Daddy. I made you something at school today." Yumi stated as she presented her drawing to Tetsuya.

"Wow...I feel really happy that you drew this and even wrote a get-well message for me. Thank you, sweetie." Tetsuya stated while giving a hug from his bed to Yumi.

"Yumi, is there something else that you want to share with your mother and father? It's nothing bad, you know." Kushina stated as she appeared in the bedroom.

"I saw that the school is having a festival coming up but it's a Father's Day theme. It was bothering me whether I should ask you, Daddy. But I was encouraged by Kyou-Sensei to ask anyways." Yumi said with hesitation in her voice.

"Yumi, sweetie. I would love to go to this festival with you." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"But Daddy what about your current state..." Yumi stated out of concern.

"Listen to me, Yumi. Going to this festival would be a great thing for all of us and I can see your mother being happy with the idea as well. Because you see moments like this only come once in a great eternity. Also, I promise you at least sometime before the festival starts I should be able to walk on my two feet again regardless of assistance or not." Tetsuya said with a reassuring tone.

"Alright, Daddy. You convinced me." Yumi said with a calm tone.

"Yumi, sweetheart. Is it alright if I put your drawing on the fridge?" Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"Sure, Mommy." Yumi said with a smile on her face before she followed Yuki into the kitchen.

However, Tetsuya was a bit amazed that Kushina and Minato were still in the bedroom.

"You guys didn't tell Yumi that I was getting healed today." Tetsuya said out of concern to Kushina and Minato.

"Well you were asleep when Minato dropped her off and we figured it would be a low-key surprise from Yumi." Kushina said with a hesitant tone.

"To tell you the truth, that sounded a bit relieving. But it gave a me an idea since you hinted at the word surprise, Sis." Tetsuya said with a sigh under his breath.

"How exactly are you going to enact the reveal that your legs were healed, Tetsuya?" Minato asked out of suspicion.

"Hmm...it's rather simple actually. I just show up alongside with whoever volunteers to pick up Yumi from school tomorrow." Tetsuya replied with a calm look.

"Tetsuya, my love, sorry that I overheard your conversation just now. But I think it's a good idea for you to get back out there walking again like that. Are you sure that it would make our daughter happy again?" Yuki asked once she entered the bedroom.

"Yes, Yuki. I am most certain that this idea will work. Besides we all have to be optimistic here since that what today was all about especially with the long healing process." Tetsuya said with a reassuring tone.


	11. Yumi's Surprised Filled Day

On the following morning, once Yumi left for school with Minato being the one taking her there like the day before is when Kushina went inside the apartment. Upon entering the apartment, Kushina noticed that Yuki was in the kitchen doing some cleaning and decided to sit in the dining room to wait for Yuki to get done. Once Yuki had finished up cleaning the kitchen, she poured a glass of tea for Kushina before she took a seat in the dining room right across from her sister-in-law.

"I'm guessing Tetsuya decided to sleep in again." Kushina said with a sigh under her breath.

"Not really, Kushina. I heard him waking up about a couple of minutes before Minato came by to pick up Yumi for school." Yuki replied with a calm tone.

Before Kushina and Yuki could say anything else, they both heard steps coming down the hallway with a quiet tapping sound following it from a stick object. Realizing who it was both Kushina and Yuki had smiles on their faces to see the sight in front of them.

"Good morning, Sis and Yuki." Tetsuya stated as he was walking gingerly with his walking stick.

"Good morning, little brother. I'm glad that you are trying to get the feeling back into your legs again, you know." Kushina said with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Tetsuya. I'm happy that you're following Lady Tsunade's orders after she got done healing you yesterday about walking." Yuki said after kissing Tetsuya on the cheek.

Tetsuya felt a sigh of relief on his face after hearing the statements from his wife and his sister. A couple of minutes had passed before Minato returned to the apartment from dropping off Yuki however he didn't come back alone. There were three familiar people right behind Minato and they were: Yosaki, Shiznae, and Shia. Once Yuki saw her family behind Minato she kind of assumed the reason why they would be at the apartment and signaled them to come on in.

"Tetsuya, how are you feeling? Yuki told us the other day that you survived your injury from the invasion and all." Yosaki asked after Shiznae and Shia gave big hugs to Tetsuya.

"I'm feeling a lot better, Yosaki. You see yesterday my injury was all healed up by my mentor and as you guys can see I have to be on a walking stick for a short while as a therapy tool until I can walk properly again." Tetsuya replied in an honest tone.

"That's good news to hear." Shiznae said with a smile on her face.

"Does Yumi even know about this yet?" Shia asked out of curiosity.

"Not quite, Shia. Well as you guys all know Yumi took this situation with me hard and it was a tough time explaining things to her without seeing her getting upset. However, I am planning on surprising her today as being the one to pick her up from school." Tetsuya replied with honesty.

A few hours had passed since Tetsuya told the update regarding his condition to his in-laws and he was getting ready to step out of the apartment for the first time in days to set out on his way to get Yumi. Before leaving, Yuki wished Tetsuya the best of luck on everything and gave him a hug while handing him his walking stick.

While Tetsuya was on his way to pick up Yumi, he began to see some of the cherry blossom leaves falling off their prospective trees which in turn made him smile. As he got closer to where Yumi's school was at, Tetsuya was astonished to see the reactions on the parents and even some of Yumi's classmates as they walked by him. In response, Tetsuya just waved at them as continued walking towards the entrance gate to the school. Upon reaching the entrance gate of the school, Tetsuya sees a familiar face standing there with a smile on her face.

"Hello, Kyou. It's been a while." Tetsuya said once he saw Kyou standing at the entrance gate.

"Yes, it has. So, you're just about all healed up, Tetsuya." Kyou said with a smile on her face.

"That's right. So, is my daughter ready to go?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Well Yumi was getting her things packed up and talking to my aide about a minute ago. Other than that, she has had a good day today like always. I think honestly she will be looking forward to seeing you here more than anything." Kyou said while in a calm tone.

"That's good to hear." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

Then the conversation between Tetsuya and Kyou lasted for another minute before they could see a small person coming out of the school building. So, Tetsuya decided to take a couple of steps past the entrance gate to get a closer view on who came out of the school building and his smile grew wider once he realized that it was his own daughter, Yumi.

"Daddy..." Yumi stated as she tearfully embraced onto Tetsuya's arm.

"It's ok, sweetie. You ready to go home?" Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"Yes, Daddy. Ok, see you tomorrow, Kyou-Sensei." Yumi replied to Tetsuya while waving goodbye to Kyou.

So, Tetsuya and Yumi left the school grounds with smiles on their faces. However, about halfway on their journey home Tetsuya motions Yumi to take a seat on a nearby bench.

"What is it, Daddy?" Yumi asked once she sat down on the bench.

"I am deeply sorry for causing you so much emotional pain these past couple of days, sweetie. I want to you remember that it wasn't your fault for what had happened to me, ok. I can tell you are like both me and your mother when it comes to dealing with problems emotionally." Tetsuya replied in a calm tone.

"I am like you and Mommy in that regard. How so?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"I figured now would be the time to tell you this tale, since you're now old enough to understand. Well there was an incident that occurred about a couple of months before I proposed to your mother and I took the family along with your sensei and her sister to the Sacred Estate. Anyways, your mother noticed something strange was going on with your Aunt Kushina and told me the first night of the trip. Upon realizing what was wrong with your aunt, I took it upon myself to get rid off that problem personally the following night. When your mother found out what I was doing, she was emotionally scarred because she didn't know whether I'd make it out alive. After I came to upon passing out from using too much energy and saving your aunt, that was when I told your mother the truth to ease her emotional pain as well as my own." Tetsuya stated with a sigh under his breath.

"Oh, that makes a lot of sense and I accept your apology from earlier. Anyways, I'm glad that you can walk around again, Daddy." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"Aww...thank you, sweetie. Let's head on home before your mother starts to worry about us both." Tetsuya stated while he patted Yumi on the head.

Once Tetsuya and Yumi made it back to the apartment, they notice that Yuki was sitting on the living room sofa with a smile on her face. So, Tetsuya sat next to Yuki while Yumi was in the process of putting her school bags away.

"I see that Yumi looks happy again, my love. You know I am grateful as well for you picking her up from school today." Yuki said to Tetsuya with a smile on her face.

"I know, dear. It makes me feel happy to hear you say that." Tetsuya said that before kissing Yuki on the forehead.

Then Yumi came back into the living room with a spacious look on her face.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?" Tetsuya and Yuki asked out of curiosity to Yumi.

"Not really, Mommy and Daddy. I was wanting to tell you that the festival which the school was going to have that Aunt Kushina told you about the other day got cancelled." Yumi replied with hesitation.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, sweetie. I was looking forward to it." Tetsuya said with in a natural tone.

"I know, Daddy. I just wish there was something we can do now that you're all healed up again." Yumi said in response.

"Hmm...I got an idea. How about a family trip?" Yuki said with a smile on her face.

"Yes, I like that idea, Mommy. But where will we go on our trip?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Yumi, sweetie. It will be a while before we decide on where the trip will take place. On the plus side, this is something we haven't done in quite some time." Tetsuya replied with a calm tone while rubbing Yumi's head.

Yumi nodded her head as she accompanied Yuki to the kitchen so that she could help her with dinner. While waiting for dinner to be done, Tetsuya was thinking of some ideas for the family trip.

Then an hour passed in which dinner was prepared and Tetsuya went to the dining room with anticipation all over his face. After Yumi said the blessing is when Tetsuya had a look on his face.

"So, Yumi, sweetie. What did you do at school today?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Hmm...let's see. I tried to become a good helper in activities that Kyou-Sensei wanted me to do like handing out craft materials alongside the aide and helping my classmates out. Why do you ask, Daddy?" Yumi replied out of concern.

"Oh, it's just that I've been recently getting good reports about you from your sensei especially today and wanted to tell your mother about it. We're proud of you, sweetie." Tetsuya responded after taking the last bite of his dinner.

"Thank you, Daddy. Since I've now finished with my dinner, can I go ahead and take my bath now?" Yumi asked before she grabbed her plate.

"Yes, sweetie." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

Then Yumi placed her dishes in the sink before heading into the bathroom and Yuki waited a few minutes until she started to clean up the dinner dishes. After she got done with the dinner dishes, Yuki poured her and Tetsuya glasses of tea while placing them on the table in front of the living room sofa.

"Something's on your mind, Yuki." Tetsuya stated after taking a sip of tea.

"Well I know it's been close to a week since we grounded Yumi from phone privileges but after what you mentioned at dinner..." Yuki said with a sigh under her breath.

"Yuki, I think we should give our daughter her privileges back because she has turned herself around these past few days not only in school but helping us out." Tetsuya said in a reassuring tone.

"Yes, you're right about the reasons, my love. I think it is time to unground Yumi since she earned her keep. However, do you want me to tell her this?" Yuki said with a smile on her face.

"That's fine with me, Yuki. Besides there was something on my mind earlier that I wanted to tell you, but it can wait until you tell Yumi about her ungrounding." Tetsuya replied before noticing that Yuki was heading in the direction of Yumi's bedroom.

"Oh, alright my love. I'll be right back." Yuki said with a smile on her face.

It was in that moment when Yuki went to tell Yumi about her grounding being done before she went to sleep. Yumi reacted with a gradual smile her face upon hearing the news before she wished Yuki and Tetsuya good night. Then Yuki proceeded to head back towards the living room where Tetsuya was still sitting at with the glasses of tea barely having ice left in their prospective cups.

"So, what was on your mind that you wanted to discuss with me?" Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"Well it's about the family trip and I had thought up about a couple of places we can go to." Tetsuya replied with a sigh under his breath.

"You've been thinking about it as well. I was thinking about the trip while cooking up dinner earlier and didn't want to say too much in front of Yumi." Yuki said with a smile on her face.

"I understand, Yuki. So where were you thinking about going for the family trip?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Well I was thinking either the beach or now that Yumi is old enough to understand family history how about a visit to the Sacred Estate. Why what were your ideas, my love?" Yuki asked as she placed her head on Tetsuya's shoulders.

"Hmm...I was originally leaning towards the second option that you mentioned but let's wait at least few months before considering that, but you are right one thing Yumi has to one day learn the history of the family which is at the Sacred Estate. But for now, let's go with your beach idea, Yuki. I mean Yumi would like the beach for the scenery and there's many things to do while we're there. However, the thing is that we must find a beach house to book right away." Tetsuya replied with a clear tone.

"It's decided then, the beach it shall be our destination for the family trip. Anyways I think its time that we should head off to bed." Yuki said before yawning.


	12. Spending the Night at Kushina's

The following morning Tetsuya was sitting down on the dining room table after placing his walking stick behind the chair and had noticed that Yumi was making her way into the kitchen. Tetsuya had motioned for Yumi to take a seat across from him with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Daddy." Yumi said as she took her seat.

"Good morning, sweetie. There is something that I wanted to tell you before you started making yourself breakfast." Tetsuya said in a calm tone.

"What is it, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Well me and your mother were talking about the family trip last night. We decided on going to the beach as our destination. However, we were originally thinking on visiting to the Sacred Estate since me and your mom realize that you're old enough now to understand our family's history. Instead we chose to save that visit for some time soon." Tetsuya replied with a sigh under his breath.

"The beach, I love that idea a lot Daddy. But I understand why you and Mommy had planned these ideas out." Yumi said as she was about to hug Tetsuya.

"Aww...thank you, sweetie. You better find something quick for breakfast or you'll be late for school." Tetsuya stated after getting up from the chair to grab his walking stick and looking at the clock on his phone.

"What about Mommy?" Yumi asked out of concern.

"She left for work this morning and had made your bento which is on the living room table. Also, she wanted me to tell you that she loves you and to have a good day at school. Now go get your school bag. I'll be waiting by the front door." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face as he walked to the front door.

Once Yumi grabbed her school bag, she and Tetsuya left the apartment. While on the way to Yumi's school, Tetsuya could tell that Yumi's facial expressions had been more positive contrary to the last few mornings. "_I'm super grateful and blessed to see my precious daughter happy like this again._" Tetsuya thought to himself as he got closer to dropping off Yumi at her school.

After dropping Yumi off at school, Tetsuya ventured to the bakery to check up on his in-laws. Once he made it to the bakery, Tetsuya noticed that it wasn't busy and walked inside to see Shia was operating the counters.

"Hi, Tetsuya. Nice to see you walking around again. How are Yuki and Yumi doing?" Shia asked right before Yosaki and Shiznae walked up to the front counters.

"Thank you, Shia. Well Yuki just started back up work today at the noodle shop. Yumi is happier ever since I picked her up from school yesterday. I was on my back from dropping Yumi off from school." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

"Well that's great news to hear, Tetsuya." Shiznae said as she and Yosaki made their presence known.

"Oh, hello, Yosaki and Shiznae. I noticed that the bakery is back to usual business." Tetsuya said in a calm tone.

"It appeared to be that way the morning after we got home from the invasion, Tetsuya." Yosaki said with a calm tone.

"Tetsuya, what will you do now?" Shiznae asked on the behalf of Yosaki and Shia.

"Well me, Yuki, and Yumi are planning on a family trip to the beach." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

"That's wonderful, Tetsuya." Shia stated in response.

"You know, Tetsuya. Have you ever considered writing a story or keeping memo journal?" Yosaki asked out of curiosity.

"Hmm...well I know my brother-in-law's mentor had been a traveling writer in which he explained his many journeys. You know what I might give it a shot since that would be helpful for Yumi to understand everything." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

Shiznae felt happy to hear that Tetsuya was going to take Yosaki's suggestion to serious consideration. Before leaving the bakery, Tetsuya decided to pick up a couple of pastries and Yosaki had given him a couple of blank notebooks which he put inside the same bag as the pastry order.

Once he stepped outside of the bakery, Tetsuya decided to walk in the direction of the shopping district since he needed to get writing supplies and essentials for the family beach trip. However, on the way to the shopping district Tetsuya notices that Kushina was sitting on a bench all alone with a distraught look on her face.

"Sis, what's wrong?" Tetsuya asked out of concern once he took a seat next to Kushina.

"Oh, I didn't realize that you were here, little brother. Sorry to cause you some worry but it's that earlier today was when Naruto and his friends headed back home. Once I said goodbye to them, I told Minato that I needed a breather because he knew I would get emotional from the situation and avoid an argument." Kushina replied as she wiped a tear off from her face.

"It's ok, Sis. You know what I was about to head off to the shopping district for a couple of errands. How about you accompany along with me today? I mean it will help you feel better with some sibling bonding time." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"I'd really appreciate that, you know, little brother." Kushina replied as she got up from the bench.

Then Tetsuya got up from the bench with a smile on his face and proceeded to walk towards the shopping district alongside Kushina.

"So, what are we doing here at the writing store, little brother?" Kushina asked out of curiosity.

"Well I have to get some writing material for since I am planning on writing up my life story." Tetsuya replied with a calm tone.

"Oh, just like Jiraiya-Sensei. I hope everything turns out by time you get done with it." Kushina said after nudging Tetsuya.

After getting the materials he needed from the writing store, Tetsuya signaled Kushina to accompany him inside the department store. Once Tetsuya grabbed a shopping cart this made Kushina curious.

"What do you need in here, little brother?" Kushina asked out of curiosity.

"Hmm...let's see. I need a thing of sunscreen, aloe vera, beach towels, and a beach playing kit for Yumi. Oh, the reason I am looking for those things is that me, Yuki and Yumi are planning on going to the beach as a family trip sometime soon. So, it's better safe to get these things now than later." Tetsuya replied with a nervous look on his face.

"That's wonderful that you are going on a family trip, little brother. I mean you guys really deserve it despite everything that has happened recently. But how come you didn't plan on the Sacred Estate?" Kushina said with a smile on her face.

"Well, Sis, I was originally planning on making the visit to the Sacred Estate as the trip instead. Even though Yumi is now old enough to understand everything, me and Yuki just basically agreed on waiting at least a few more months before possibly making the trip up there." Tetsuya answered honestly.

"I understand, little brother. You know." Kushina said with a calm tone.

Tetsuya responded back with a smile on his face before he and Kushina left the department store. Not even taking a few steps away from the department store, Tetsuya starts looking through all the bags he had and suddenly he had a look of concern.

"What's wrong, little brother?" Kushina asked upon analyzing the situation.

"Oh, shoot. I totally forgot about these pastries I had in here earlier. Sis, before we leave the shopping district do you mind if we head over to the noodle shop so I can drop these pastries off for Yuki as a snack for her lunch?" Tetsuya replied with an anxious look on his face.

"Of course, Tetsuya." Kushina answered while calming down her brother.

"Thank you, Sis." Tetsuya said after Kushina calmed him from his anxious mood.

Once they had made it to the noodle shop, Tetsuya went along inside to drop off the pastries to Yuki while Kushina sat on the bench outside to wait for him. Then Kushina notices that a familiar face had taken a seat right to next to her.

"I'd figure you would come here in the shopping district, Kushina." Minato stated once he got properly seated on the bench.

"Well...I was going to come back to the house right from the train station this morning after saying goodbye to our son, you know. But I found a bench and before you know it Tetsuya found me in which he wanted me to accompany him around while he had to do a few errands here in the district. That explains the bags right by my feet." Kushina said to Minato with a natural look on her face.

"So, where is your brother now?" Minato asked out of curiosity.

"Oh...umm. He had to drop off something for Yuki in the noodle shop and should have been out sometime ago. But it's hard to see with the incoming line that is about to come into that shop, you know, Minato." Kushina replied with a smile on her face.

Then a couple of minutes after Kushina said that, she and Minato notice Tetsuya coming out of the noodle shop with a look like something's bothering him. Tetsuya waved at Minato once he made it to the bench that he and Kushina were sitting in.

"What happened, little brother?" Kushina asked out of concern.

"Is it ok if me and Yumi stayed a night or two at your guys place?" Tetsuya asked Kushina and Minato once they were out of the shopping district vicinity.

"Of course, Tetsuya. But you haven't explained what happened back there at the noodle shop since we left the district." Minato replied out of concern.

"Ok, well right after I dropped off the pastries to Yuki since she had been on lunch break at that time and she tells me that she got chewed out by her boss for missing work the past couple days even though she was right there by my side seeing me get healed from all the injuries. Anyways, Yuki tried to explain that to her boss and somehow he didn't like that excuse which she could have told him ahead of time that she was going to miss work to aid me out. So, that led to an argument where Yuki put the whole blame on me for something that her boss should have the heart or compassion to understand for. It's because of that I told Yuki that I was taking Yumi with me and she would have the apartment until who knows when." Tetsuya stated while wiping tears from his face.

"If it will make you feel better, little brother. Would you want Minato to pick up Yumi from school while I accompany you to the apartment so you can get a bag together for you and Yumi?" Kushina asked with a pleasant tone.

"Yes, Sis. I would appreciate it." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

Then Tetsuya and Kushina left in the direction for the apartment to get a duffle bag for Tetsuya and Yumi. Upon arriving at the apartment, Tetsuya had to put the other things he bought at the shopping district in his part of the bedroom closet. The process of packing up some things for Tetsuya and Yumi into duffle bags did not take as long as planned.

Meanwhile, Minato was almost to the school grounds to pick up Yumi before hearing the tune of the final bell indicating that he was on time. By the time he had made it to the entrance gates, Minato can see that Yumi was already out there with a smile on her face.

"Hi, Uncle Minato. What happened to my daddy?" Yumi asked once she and Minato were a few feet away from the school.

"It is that your father had a rough day and he wanted me to pick you up in his stead." Minato answered in a calm tone.

"Oh ok, so why are we going in the direction of you and Aunt Kushina's house?" Yumi asked in a suspicious tone.

"Well Yumi to tell you truth, you might be staying with me and your aunt for a little while. No worries your father will be with you as well." Minato replied in an honest tone.

Yumi proceeded to show Minato a bruise on her arm and she started to get upset once Minato's facial reaction upon seeing the bruise was apparent.

"What happened to your arm, Yumi?" Minato asked out of concern.

"I...was being bullied at school today and they called me names. When I told them to stop it, one of the people who was bullying me punched me hard in the arm. I was too traumatized to go to a teacher to report on them... but some of my classmates who defended me did and told my teacher what happened. So, the bullies had to apologize to me right before you picked me up, Uncle Minato. I'm sorry...if I am a weak person." Yumi replied once she and Minato made it to the front porch of Minato and Kushina's house.

"I don't think you are a weak person at all, Yumi. After all you're my niece who has a very strong heart and I believe that. So does your aunt Kushina. Come on let's get inside." Minato said in a reassuring tone.

Once Minato and Yumi stepped inside the house, they see Kushina reading a magazine and greeted her right away. Then Kushina told Yumi that Tetsuya would be in the guest bedroom and took notice of Minato's facial expression which she motioned for him to sit right next to her.

"What is it, Minato?" Kushina asked out of concern.

"Yumi just told me that she was bullied at school today." Minato told with a sigh under his breath.

"SHE WAS WHAT?!" Kushina shouted just before Minato calmed her down.

"Kushina...that's what happened and Yumi showed me the bruise mark on her arm." Minato said after Kushina gained her composure.

"Does Tetsuya know about this?" Kushina asked out of curiosity.

"I think that's what Yumi's about to tell him right now. Hold on here they come." Minato replied before he notices Tetsuya and Yumi coming into the living room.

"Daddy, I didn't mean to make your day worse." Yumi said as she came into the living room.

"I know you didn't mean to, sweetie. It's just that after what you told me had me worried about you a lot more. I'm sorry if I brought this upon you, your aunt and uncle." Tetsuya said once he took a seat in the living room.

Yumi, Kushina, and Minato nodded after realizing that Tetsuya had been through a lot of stress. Then Yumi came upon some torn clothing that needed to be patched up and looked at Kushina with a curious look.

"Aunt Kushina?" Yumi asked with the curious look.

"Yes, Yumi. What is it?" Kushina answered after looking at Yumi with the torn clothing.

"Umm...can you teach me how to knit up clothing?" Yumi asked with a little hesitation.

"Sure, Yumi. You know." Kushina replied with a smile.

That put a huge smile on Tetsuya's face seeing that Yumi wanting to learn how to knit up torn clothes from Kushina. While Yumi was learning knitting, Minato decided to pour everyone a glass of water. Then an hour passed by until Kushina realized she had to begin making dinner which she planned for the Kushina Special as the meal.

Once Kushina put her knitting material away and headed into the kitchen, Minato decided to pick up the now empty glasses so they could be washed.

"So, how do you think of knitting, sweetie?" Tetsuya asked Yumi while rubbing her head.

"I think it's alright, Daddy. By the way, can I ask you something?" Yumi asked out curiosity.

"Sure, what is it." Tetsuya said with a calm tone.

"Are you and Mommy splitting up for good or is this just temporary?" Yumi asked out of concern.

"Yumi, your mom and I will not split up for good. It's only for a day or two that we will be here. You see Mommy must work super long shifts at the noodle shop for the next two days which got me upset about it. So, we got into an argument over why she couldn't let her boss reduce hours but ended up being as punishment for missing work to take care of me. So that's why we are here. Don't blame it on yourself, sweetie." Tetsuya replied with an honest tone.

"I understand everything now, Daddy. But can't you tell Mommy that you're sorry for causing the argument." Yumi said with a calm tone.

"I'd wish, sweetie. But I don't know if she's still mad at me. Come along now it looks like your aunt's got dinner done." Tetsuya said with a sigh under his breath.

Then Tetsuya and Yumi got up from the living room to head into the dining room to see that indeed dinner was done just that Kushina was waiting for them to show up before blessing the food. It was a while before everyone had finished eating dinner with Minato volunteering to clean up the dinner dishes and Tetsuya prompting Yumi to take a bath in the guest bathroom.

Once Yumi had walked out of the room, Tetsuya had a sigh under his breath and that caused some concern for Kushina.

"Is something wrong, little brother?" Kushina asked out of concern.

"Oh, nothing really, Sis. Just that I had finally told the truth to Yumi why me and her are staying here earlier. Literally one of the hardest things I have done to her. I don't know..." Tetsuya said in a gloomy tone.

"Don't let it bother you, Tetsuya. Besides I think it was the right thing to do by telling her the truth anyways." Minato said once he made it back to the dining room.

"You...think so, Minato?" Tetsuya asked with hesitation in his voice.

"Of course. To tell you the truth, Yumi started asking me why I was taking her here instead of the apartment and I didn't want to tell her the whole truth because I figured I would leave that to you." Minato said with a calm tone.

That made Tetsuya feel relieved once he heard Minato's statement and put a smile back on his face. A couple of minutes had passed before Yumi came back from her bath and entered the dining room. Just before Yumi could sit down she wanted to show Tetsuya, Kushina, and Minato that the bruise on her arm had swelled down completely.

"That's wonderful, sweetie. But your arm still might be sore even though the bruise is gone, ok. I am saying this not trying to be mean but as coming from experience." Tetsuya stated as he rubbed on Yumi's head and gave her a goodnight kiss.

"Ok, Daddy. Good night, Uncle Minato and Aunt Kushina. Also, Good night, Daddy, I love you." Yumi stated before she went into the guest bedroom.

"Good night, Yumi." Minato and Kushina said in unison.

"I'm going to step out on the front porch for a second." Tetsuya said before opening the front door.

"Ok, little brother." Kushina said with a smile on her face.

So, Tetsuya stepped out on the front porch of Minato and Kushina's house for him to gaze upon the nightly sky. However, a shadow presence was approaching in the direction of Minato and Kushina's house in which Tetsuya decided to take a closer look just to see what it was. Upon recognizing the walking pattern of the presence, Tetsuya stood there motionless waiting for it to come to him.

"Just got back from work or you couldn't sleep, my dear." Tetsuya stating once he figured out that the shadow presence was Yuki.

"I couldn't sleep because all day I've been bothered is by that lousy fight we had back at the noodle shop." Yuki said with a gloomy tone.

"I know, Yuki. It's been bothering me all day as well and I want to apologize for causing the argument in the first place because I should have been an understanding husband instead of a jerk. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings today. Will you forgive me?" Tetsuya said with a calm tone.

"I will accept this apology, Tetsuya." Yuki replied while she embraced Tetsuya with a hug and kiss.

"Umm...Yuki, wait before you head back to the apartment there is actually two things I have to tell you. The first thing is that me and Yumi will be back at the apartment tomorrow and will have everything tidied up before you come home from work. The other thing was that Yumi was bullied at school today." Tetsuya said with an honest tone.

"How in the world did our daughter get bullied at school?" Yuki asked out of concern.

"She got punched in the arm really bad and I have a picture of it on my phone of what it looked like all bruised. However, Yumi said earlier once she got out of the bath the bruise was gone but I told her it will still be sore for a while. Anyways, she told me that the bullies picked on her by calling her names but some of her friends came to her defense to stop it before the teachers came in. Then she ended it by saying that the teachers had the bullies apologize to her just a couple of minutes before Minato picked her up from school." Tetsuya replied with a sigh on his breath.

"Oh...no. After hearing this has me worried about her safety, Tetsuya." Yuki said right before she was about to leave.

"I know, Yuki. But we must remain strong and diligent parents for her sake. Well have a good night and day at work. See you tomorrow. I love you." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"Ok, good night, Tetsuya. I love you too. When you see Yumi tell her that Mommy loves her with all of her heart." Yuki said right as she left.

Then Tetsuya started to step back inside Kushina and Minato's house with a huge smile on his face. This drew the curiosity of both Kushina and Minato who were in the living room and motioned Tetsuya to come in there.

"What's with the happy mood, little brother? I thought you were going to step out on the porch for only a second." Kushina asked out of curiosity.

"Kushina, please. Tetsuya, is there something that you want to tell us." Minato said with a calm tone.

"Ok, I was going to step out on the front porch for a second before I saw Yuki down on the end of your guys' block here. So, I ended up talking to her for a while and we made up from the argument we had earlier today. That means me and Yumi are heading back to the apartment sometime tomorrow but thank you guys for letting us stay the night here." Tetsuya replied with an honest tone.

"I'm very happy for you and your welcome, little brother." Kushina said with a smile on her face.

"I'm glad that you and Yuki resolved your differences. Does she know about what happened with Yumi today?" Minato asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I explained Yuki the whole situation just like Yumi told me and she was very concerned about it just as I was." Tetsuya replied with a calm tone.

"I don't know about you guys, but I am heading off to bed." Kushina stated as she went to the direction of her and Minato's bedroom.

"Okay, good night, Sis." Tetsuya stated as he went into the direction of the guest bedroom.


	13. A Day Blessed with Miracles

The following morning is when Tetsuya got up to see that Kushina was making breakfast and Minato was in the dining room. Once he took a seat in the dining room is when Tetsuya began to hear a yawn coming from the guest bedroom. This had Kushina and Minato giving Tetsuya a smile knowing that Yumi was now awake.

"Good morning, Daddy, Uncle Minato, and Aunt Kushina." Yumi said once she made it to dining room.

"Good morning, sweetie. I have some good news." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"What is it, Daddy? Besides that, you don't have your walking stick with you." Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Well...sweetie of course I have it. Huh? You're right, I didn't bring it in here and walked in here without it. Do you know what this means?" Tetsuya replied before he realized that Yumi was telling the truth.

"Little brother, you can walk fully on your own again. You're 100% healed, you know." Kushina replied the answer before anyone else could say anything.

"Wow you're right, Sis. Guess what, Yumi, your mother is going to be thrilled when she sees this." Tetsuya said in a calm tone.

"What do you mean by that, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of concern.

"Well, right after you went to sleep last night. I stepped outside to look at the stars and your mom showed up down the street from here. So, we were talking for a little while and made up from our fight like grown-ups do. Here in a short while me and you are heading back home. We are going to tidy up the place a little bit before your mother gets back from work tonight. Do you like the sound of that plan, sweetie?" Tetsuya asked while looking at Yumi.

"Yes, Daddy. Does Mommy know about what happened to me at school yesterday?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, sweetie, I told her about it. But I don't want you to worry about it, ok. Besides your mother entrusted me to tell you that she loves you with all her heart and you know that she wouldn't want to see you worried about a situation like this. Better eat some of your breakfast before it gets cold." Tetsuya replied with a reassuring tone while rubbing Yumi's head.

While Tetsuya and Yumi were eating breakfast, Kushina who had been cleaning up the dishes couldn't resist but put on a smile on her face at the sight she was seeing. "_You are turning out to be a great father for my niece. I'm very proud of you, little brother, you know._" Kushina thought to herself after watching the sight that unfolded in the dining room.

After Tetsuya and Yumi had finished eating their breakfast is when they got their duffle bags all packed up from the guest bedroom and laid them by the front door. Yumi then proceeded to walk into the living room where Kushina and Minato with a smile on her face.

"Thank you for breakfast, Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato. It was delicious." Yumi stated with the smile on her face.

"Oh, you're welcome, Yumi." Kushina said with a smile on her face with Minato nodding with the statement.

"Well, I guess we're heading back to the apartment now. Thank you again for letting us stay here, Sis and Minato. Come along, Yumi." Tetsuya said as he grabbed his and Yumi's duffle bags and hugged both Kushina and Minato before leaving their house.

"Goodbye, Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato." Yumi said as she hugged Kushina and Minato before catching up with Tetsuya.

While on the way back to the apartment, Yumi notices her father's facial expression was calmer opposed to when they first left Kushina and Minato's house. By the time they reached the apartment, Tetsuya handed Yumi her duffle bag and she started to unpack it in her bedroom immediately. However, once Yumi got done unpacking her belongings she sat in the dining room and noticed it took a long time for Tetsuya to get his things unpacked.

"Daddy, how come you were calmer than usual when we left Aunt Kushina's this morning?" Yumi asked out of curiosity once Tetsuya came into the dining room.

"Well, sweetie, you see I believe that with us spending the night over there despite what happened between me and your mom yesterday was something that helped your aunt out." Tetsuya replied in a calm tone.

"What do you mean, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of concern.

"Ok, to tell you the truth, sweetie, your cousin Naruto and his friends had gone back home yesterday morning. So, you understand how emotional your aunt and uncle get when your cousin leaves them. For your aunt especially not to get emotional about Naruto leaving that was when I figured as a bonding day would help her and your uncle out." Tetsuya replied with an honest tone.

"Oh ok, Daddy. You mean I helped you out by making Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato's days better?" Yumi said in a wondrous tone.

"That's exactly right, sweetie. Oh boy, it's getting around lunch time let's see if Mommy brought leftovers in the fridge from work or if not I can make something quick." Tetsuya stated as he got up from the dining room chair.

Yumi nodded her head while Tetsuya was beginning to look through the fridge for lunch ideas. It didn't take Tetsuya long to find that there was some leftover ramen bowls from the noodle shop and decided to heat them up in the microwave.

Upon eating the quick lunch, Tetsuya and Yumi proceeded to get to work on cleaning up the apartment. The cleaning took Tetsuya and Yumi a while to get it all done despite they divided up the chores equally. After putting all the cleaning supplies away is when Tetsuya and Yumi sat in the living room.

"The apartment is now clean, sweetie. It'll be a little while before Mommy comes home from work so what do you want to do." Tetsuya said in a calm tone.

"I don't know, Daddy." Yumi said as she was about to unwind on a sofa-chair.

"Ok. So, how's your arm doing, sweetie?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"It is getting a lot better, Daddy. I don't feel as sore or bruised like yesterday." Yumi replied with a smile on her face.

"That's good to hear. You know your mother will love to hear that once she gets back." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

Yumi responded with a nod and proceeded to head into her bedroom which Tetsuya didn't mind at all. So, Tetsuya had decided to start writing down his past adventures in the empty notebooks he bought the day prior in the living room to pass some time. "_It's hard to believe that all of the things I've been through based on what I am writing is exceeding my own expectations. I figure now would be the best time to take a break from writing my memoir so to speak and getting back to it soon._" Tetsuya thought to himself once he got to a stopping point on writing in his notebook. Then Tetsuya went into his bedroom to put away the notebook and pen that he was using before hearing the front door open.

Realizing that it was Yuki coming home from work, Tetsuya had walked in the hallway very quietly. Yumi who was still in her bedroom had heard the commotion decided to open her bedroom door only to be given a signal by Tetsuya to follow a few feet behind him.

"Hello, is anyone home?" Yuki asked once she closed the front door of the apartment.

"Welcome home, Yuki, my dear." Tetsuya replied once he made it to the living room.

"Hi, Tetsuya, my love. You're...walking...normally...again." Yuki stated as she embraced in Tetsuya's arms.

"It's ok, Yuki. I didn't notice it until this morning when Yumi said something while me and her were finishing up breakfast at my sister's house." Tetsuya said as he wiped the tears off Yuki's face and motioned Yumi to come out of the hallway.

"Hello, Mommy." Yumi stated as she hugged Yuki.

"Hi, sweetheart. I had missed you so much." Yuki stated as her grip on Yumi got tighter.

"I know, Mommy." Yumi said once she and Yuki were out of the hug.

"I was so worried about you with what happened at school the other day that I almost had a panic attack at work today, sweetheart. Sorry, if I am bringing this up now." Yuki said with a gloomy look on her face.

"Mommy?! If it will make you feel any better the bruise I had on my arm is completely gone." Yumi said as she accompanied Yuki into the kitchen.

"Oh, that's good news, sweetheart. By the way I liked the way you and your father cleaned up the whole apartment. I love you a whole lot." Yuki said as she rubbed on Yumi's head.

Then Yumi proceeded to head back to her bedroom while Tetsuya went into the kitchen where Yuki was getting ready to find something to cook for dinner.

"Yuki, are you feeling ok?" Tetsuya asked out of concern.

"I'm feeling a bit better now than I was earlier. I didn't mean to scare you or Yumi like that by mentioning what kind of day I had at work today." Yuki replied with a sigh.

"It's ok. I'm glad that you told us what was bothering you, my dear. Panic attacks don't come often but this is something that I will definitely support you with if it ever comes again." Tetsuya said as he put his head on Yuki's shoulders.

"Thank you, Tetsuya. I appreciate that and to be the most gentle, caring husband I have ever known. I love you for that." Yuki said as she kissed Tetsuya on the forehead.

Tetsuya with a smile on his face proceeded to head into the dining room and right as he was about to sit down he then notices Yumi coming into the dining room area with a curious look on her face.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Tetsuya asked once Yumi took a seat.

"When I was coming out of the bathroom a few minutes ago, I heard some things falling out of you and Mommy's bedroom. Well after I put them back in their original spots and noticed that the pen which was on top of the journal had broke off, so I placed it back inside..." Yumi replied before noticing a look on Tetsuya's face.

"Oh, I hope the broke pen didn't ruin what I was planning on writing in that journal." Tetsuya said with a worried look on his face.

"No, it didn't Daddy. I promise you." Yumi stated before Tetsuya went into the bedroom to check on the journal.

"Ok, that was a close one. Thank you, sweetie." Tetsuya stated once he came back to see that the journal was narrowly safe from ink residue.

"What are you writing in there anyways that you didn't want to get ruined, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Ok, since you are wondering about it and probably your mother is too by now. The thing that is written in that journal is a memoir of everything that I've ever done. So, basically everything you saw in the vision that time you and your mom were in my psyche just about. It's almost finished just have to add in a couple of more events and edit the whole story before it will be given to you as a gift." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

"A gift for what?" Yumi asked with confusion.

"It's my special gift that I want to give you for showing a lot of courage these past few days and being a huge help in saving me at a time when I thought I would be down and out. You see there was something I told your mother a long time ago that truly resonates to with both you and her still to this very day." Tetsuya replied while he was looking at both Yuki and Yumi.

"Is it what you told me right after you saved your sister at the trip we took before you proposed to me all of those years ago?" Yuki asked while she was cooking dinner.

"Yes, it is. That you are my greatest adventure. Now that our daughter helped us out I believe that saying now implies to her as well. Wouldn't you agree, Yuki?" Tetsuya stated while he was looking at Yumi.

"I strongly believe that, Tetsuya. Oh, Yumi, sweetheart, don't get sad over it that's a compliment from me and your dad stating how very proud we are of you." Yuki said once she placed dinner on the table and noticed Yumi's facial expression.

"Ok, Mommy." Yumi said once she changed her sad frown to a smile and started to take a bite of her dinner.

This put a smile on Tetsuya's face after he finished eating his dinner and picked up his dinner plate to clean it off. Upon sitting back down at the dining room table is when Tetsuya noticed that Yumi had already finished her plate and motioned her to clean it off before taking a bath. Once Yumi cleaned off her dinner plate and left the dining room, Tetsuya noticed that Yuki had one bite left on her dinner plate but seemed to be weary eyed based on her facial expression.

"I don't know if I can eat anymore, Tetsuya." Yuki stated with the weary look on her face.

"It's ok, Yuki. I'll put your leftovers in the fridge for you. Yuki?!" Tetsuya said right before Yuki passed out on the dining room table.

With a sigh under his breath before putting a smile on his face, Tetsuya carried Yuki back into their bedroom so she could rest and headed back into the dining room to put away the rest of Yuki's dinner into the fridge. Then, Yumi came into the dining room and looked around which in turn had a curious look on her face.

"Is everything okay, Daddy? I heard a thud right as I was coming out of the bath." Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, sweetie. Everything's fine I was just putting your mother's leftovers in the fridge." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

"Where is Mommy?" Yumi asked with concern.

"Your mother's resting right now, Yumi. She is going to be okay. The long and tiring day at work must have made her passed out from exhaustion." Tetsuya replied with a sigh.

"Oh ok, Daddy. I'm heading off to bed now. Good night, love you." Yumi stated as she hugged Tetsuya.

"Good night, sweetie." Tetsuya said to Yumi before he started walking in the direction of his bedroom.

Then Tetsuya made it into the bedroom to grab his nightwear before heading to the bathroom to take a shower. A few minutes had passed, and Tetsuya came back from taking the shower to see that Yuki was laying up on the bed awake. However, Tetsuya could tell that Yuki had a frown look on her face and could sense something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Yuki?" Tetsuya asked once he got on his side of the bed.

"I'm sorry for passing out like that during dinner, my love. You know that it isn't usually like me for have these sorts of things to happen." Yuki replied with the frown look.

"It's ok, Yuki. I understood right away and besides we got to find a way to help manage your stress if that's what I think that caused you to pass out." Tetsuya stated as he placed his hand on Yuki's cheek.

"I know, Tetsuya." Yuki said as she held Tetsuya's hand.

"Do you want to talk about it more in the morning, Yuki? I mean don't forget we still have to plan on what days we are going on our trip to the beach." Tetsuya asked as he was about to close his eyes.

"That's fine with me, my love. Good night." Yuki replied after she gave Tetsuya a goodnight kiss.


	14. Yuki and Yumi's Bonding Day

It was the early hours of the following day, Tetsuya had gotten up to use the bathroom before he noticed that the dining room light was dimmed on. After using the bathroom, Tetsuya decided to walk into the dining room to see Yumi sitting there with an empty glass.

"Hmm...couldn't sleep, sweetie?" Tetsuya stated after taking the empty glass.

"No, Daddy. I had a bad dream and tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. So, I wounded up getting a glass of milk to see if that would help me go to sleep." Yumi replied with a calm look.

"If you want to go to sleep on the sofa, sweetie. I won't mind it at all just that once breakfast is ready I'll come and wake you, ok." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Daddy." Yumi stated as she headed towards the living room sofa.

Then Tetsuya got up from the dining room and prepared himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. While the coffeepot was brewing, that gave Tetsuya time to change out of his nightwear into regular clothes. Once he poured his cup of coffee, Tetsuya heard a noise coming from his bedroom realizing that Yuki was now getting up and around. However, Yuki had gone straight to the bathroom to take a shower before changing to regular clothes since she was still in her work clothes from the previous day.

By the time Yuki had gotten out of the shower and changed clothes, she went to the dining room to see Tetsuya sitting there with his cup of coffee in hand and noticed Yumi sleeping on the living room sofa.

"Good morning, Yuki, my dear. How did you sleep?" Tetsuya asked after taking a sip of his coffee.

"I slept like I haven't in a long time, my love. How come Yumi's on the sofa?" Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"Well she didn't sleep that good last night due to a bad dream plaguing her. So, she drank a glass of milk to help her sleep and I told her that it would be ok for to sleep on the sofa because I could tell how tired she was. I figured to give her some rest until breakfast got done." Tetsuya replied with honesty in his voice.

"Oh ok, Tetsuya. It makes sense now because I didn't know where you were when I first got up this morning." Yuki said with a smile on her face.

"Ok, Yuki. I'm glad that you understand everything. But let's talk about when we want to head out for the beach?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Hmm...do you think three days will work and we can spend about a week there? I already saw that you got the supplies for it just that we might have to do clothes shopping for the occasion and pack." Yuki replied with a calm look on her face.

"I'm ok with that, Yuki. To be honest with you, I don't know if our swimwear that we brought to our honeymoon even still fits us anymore." Tetsuya said with a natural look on his face.

"I know, my love. That's why I brought up the clothes shopping in the first place and besides I'll have to find decent swimwear for Yumi anyways." Yuki said with a nervous tone.

"I understand, Yuki." Tetsuya said while holding Yuki's hands.

Then Yuki proceeded to get up from the dining room area and started to make breakfast. This prompted Tetsuya to wake up Yumi from the living room sofa by gently tapping on her shoulder. In that moment, Yumi proceeded to open her eyes and had moved over so her father could sit right next to her.

Before anyone could say anything, Tetsuya decided to fold up Yumi's blanket and placed it right in front of her feet.

"Did you feel better since you slept on the sofa, sweetie?" Tetsuya asked after he rubbed on Yumi's head.

"Yes, Daddy." Yumi replied with a smile.

"That's good to hear. You know me and your mom have something that we want to tell you." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"What is it?" Yumi asked as her curiosity started to peak.

"Ok, sweetheart. Well me and your father have figured out when the family trip to the beach is and it's in three days, but we will be spending a week down there." Yuki stated as she was about to finish cooking up breakfast.

Yumi's face started to beam with joy as she found out the news. However, there was something that started to puzzle Yumi in which Tetsuya caught immediately while they were heading to the dining room table.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Tetsuya stated as he and Yumi sat down to eat breakfast.

"I don't know what clothes are suitable to wear on the beach, Daddy." Yumi replied as she had a confused look on her face.

"Oh, that's ok. If you want to why not go with your mother clothes shopping today?" Tetsuya stated a suggestion with a smile on his face.

"I think that is a great idea, Daddy. What do you think, Mommy?" Yumi replied after taking a bite of her breakfast.

"Sure thing, sweetheart. I was mentioning to your father this morning that it was time for clothes shopping since the trip was coming up. I appreciate it." Yuki answered after she took a bite of her breakfast.

After everyone finished eating their breakfast, Yumi cleaned her dish and went into her bedroom to get ready for the day. Tetsuya got his and Yuki's plate to clean them off but not before getting the empty coffee cup from earlier. Once the dishes were cleaned, Tetsuya noticed that there was a strange look on Yuki's face and went back to the dining room where she was still sitting at.

"Yuki, my dear, what's wrong?" Tetsuya asked out of concern.

"This is going to be the first time I've had a mother-daughter outing and I just feel nervous that I might end up doing something wrong." Yuki replied with a frown look on her face.

"Yuki, I believe that you will have a good outing with Yumi today. I don't think there will be anything bad happening. Besides the reason I chose this is because I want our daughter to have the same special connection she has for me with you. I mean I do not want you to feel left out as her mother, ok. I can sense it, you know." Tetsuya stated as he was wiping off tears that were coming down on Yuki's face.

"Thank you, Tetsuya. I'm very glad that you are my husband and Yumi's father." Yuki stated as she hugged Tetsuya.

"I know, Yuki. I am grateful for that every single day. Go on you should get ready for the special bonding day with our daughter." Tetsuya said after kissing Yuki on the forehead.

Then Yuki headed towards the bedroom to get ready for the special outing with Yumi. Once Yuki got the things she needed out of the bedroom she went into the living room to wait for Yumi to finish getting ready. However, by the time Yuki had made it to the living room she notices that Yumi was already getting on her shoes by the doorway to the apartment.

Before they headed out of the apartment, Yuki and Yumi expressed their goodbyes to Tetsuya who in return wished them a great outing before giving them hugs and kisses. After the apartment door was shut is when Tetsuya decided to grab his journal from the bedroom and finish up writing his memoir. It was a short time after pulling out the journal when Tetsuya had a smile on his face before looking at his completed memoir. "_Now there's only one thing left to do before I put this in Yumi's bedroom_." Tetsuya thought to himself before he began writing a dedication page in the journal. Once the dedication page was written, Tetsuya put his finished memoir in Yumi's bedroom and gently shut the door with a smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Yuki and Yumi had made it to the shopping district right as Yumi's stomach started to growl. Yuki realizing what was going on suggested that she and Yumi should eat the burger place before heading into the clothes store which Yumi steadfastly agreed. Upon finding some seats and ordering their food, Yuki had a sigh of relief on her face in which caught Yumi's attention.

"Why the big sigh, Mommy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, it's nothing just feeling happy that I get to spend some time with you today, sweetheart." Yuki replied with a natural look on her face.

"Ok, Mommy. Just wanted to make sure that you were feeling ok was all." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"I know, Yumi. Oh, it looks like our food is coming." Yuki stated as she seen a waiter coming with her and Yumi's food.

"Hmm...the food tastes delicious. Wouldn't you think so, Mommy?" Yumi asked after taking a bite of her burger.

"It sure does, sweetheart. Can I ask you something?" Yuki asked out of curiosity after she took a bite of her meal.

Yumi nodded in approval to Yuki's question which immediately her own facial expression had turn to curiosity as well.

"Do you think this a great outing so far, sweetheart?" Yuki asked with honesty.

"Yes, Mommy. Why do you ask?" Yumi replied after she finished her meal.

"I don't know how to say this without hurting your feelings sweetheart. But this is my first big opportunity to bond with you as mother-daughter outside of the apartment, bakery, or other family functions. That is a whole new experience to me. I mean your father has taken you out several times and he understand you more than anyone I know." Yuki replied with a frown look on her face.

"Mommy, please don't feel left out of anything. I mean there might be things I can always ask you for you know woman stuff. Besides some people at school think I get my face and smile from you. I think Daddy was aware of this when he asked me to tag along with you today." Yumi stated with a smile on her face.

"Yumi, my sweetheart...thank you for cheering me up. I love you so much." Yuki stated as she hugged Yumi after tearing up outside of the burger place.

Yuki and Yumi headed to the clothes store to see that there was a sale going on just only for that day. This put a smile on Yuki's face but a wondrous look on Yumi's face.

"Mommy, what's a sale?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Well sweetheart a sale is when a store has something that they sell but lower down the price to attract people like us to see whether or not if we want to buy it. You know like how Saki and Shiza do it sometimes back at the bakery for example." Yuki replied while she and Yumi were entering the clothes store.

"Oh ok, I get it now, Mommy." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

Upon glancing at the swimwear section, Yuki found a couple pairs of swimsuits for Yumi and she showed them to Yumi that is when they started to look around for a fitting room. It didn't take them long to find a fitting room and while Yumi was trying on one of the swimsuits Yuki was responding to a message on her phone from Tetsuya telling him that they wouldn't be back from the outing until later than planned. After noticing that the first swimsuit was a little bulgy on Yumi, Yuki had her try on the other swimsuit. While waiting for the second swimsuit reveal, Yuki had got a response back from Tetsuya noting that he understood and told her and Yumi to have fun on their bonding day.

Then Yumi came out with the second swimsuit that fitted her just right in which she and Yuki put in the shopping cart after Yumi dressed back to normal and out of the fitting room. Suddenly, Yumi started to feel happy that she found a swimsuit that fits her and looking back at where it was originally she discovered that it was on sale.

"Guess what, Mommy. That swimsuit was on sale." Yumi said with the smile on her face.

"Oh, that is amazing sweetheart. You are a quick learner, aren't you? Before we came in here you didn't know what a sale was and now you understand what it is. I'm very proud of you." Yuki stated with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Mommy. Are you looking for swimwear too?" Yumi said with a calm look on her face.

"Yes, I am, Yumi. But it's hard to choose on which one of these swimsuits here would look appealing." Yuki asked while looking at the two-pieced swimsuits.

"Why is it hard to choose from all of these beautiful swimsuits, Mommy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Well...sweetheart it's that I haven't done any swimsuit shopping since right before me and your father had our honeymoon. So, I don't know out of all of these swimsuits has the latest trend and if it would impress your father." Yuki replied in a nervous tone.

"I have a suggestion. Why not try them all on and see which one suits you the best, Mommy?" Yumi said with a calm look.

"Ok...I'll do it." Yuki stated as she took each swimsuit with her into the fitting room.

Yumi sat on a nearby chair to wait while her mother was trying on each of the swimsuits. A few minutes had passed by before Yuki came out of the fitting room with two swimsuits which she thought would suit her best and put them in the cart. Realizing that her mother was now out of the fitting room and getting ready to step away from the swimwear portion of the clothes store, Yumi had to catch up to Yuki.

Then Yuki and Yumi went into the girls' section of the store to check out the clothes that were in their respective sizes. After getting each a few articles of clothing and placing it in the cart, Yumi had a curious look on her face towards Yuki.

"Mommy, do you think Daddy has enough clothes for the trip?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, sweetheart. I already got your father new swimwear while we were in here." Yuki replied as she and Yumi were about to reach the check-out line.

Once Yuki and Yumi left the clothes store with everything they got placed in bags, that was when they left the shopping district for the direction of the apartment. However, on the way back to the apartment Yuki notices a lemonade vendor and she gets her and Yumi a cup of lemonade as a special treat while still holding the bag of clothes.

Upon reaching the doorway to the apartment, Yuki had to knock on the door to get Tetsuya's attention since she and Yumi's hands were full to not open the door. It took a minute after hearing the door knock for Tetsuya to open the apartment door for Yuki and Yumi.

"Welcome home. So how did your guys bonding day go?" Tetsuya stated as he hugged and kissed his wife and daughter.

"It went good, my love. I'll be right be back just have to put these bags in the bedroom." Yuki replied before heading into the bedroom to drop off the bags that were in her hand.

"It was great, Daddy. I got to learn what a sale was, and I picked up some neat clothes at the clothes store." Yumi replied with a big smile on her face.

"Whoa...Whoa...where did this sale happen?" Tetsuya asked out of concern.

"At the clothes store, Daddy." Yumi responded quickly.

"Is something wrong, my love? I heard a commotion while I was putting stuff away." Yuki asked out of concern.

"I had asked Yumi a question about where a sale had happened since she learned the term today and she told me it was at the clothes store where you guys went to. I'm not mad or anything it's just I want to say this for Yumi just in case if she hears a sale is going on again. I wanted to her to know that a sale means not waste all of your money at once because there's some people in our extended family not naming names who have had a bad history of gambling away money." Tetsuya replied with a calm look on his face.

"Oh ok. That is wonderful advice, my love. If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen cooking dinner. Yumi, sweetheart, put everything you got from the clothes store away in bedroom." Yuki stated with a smile on her face.

Tetsuya headed to his bedroom to see a few clothes with tags on them placed beneath his side of the bed and with a smile on his face he realized that Yuki had gotten him clothes from the clothing store. Knowing what to do with new clothes, Tetsuya pulled out his duffle bag and started to pack them neatly inside before placing the bag right underneath the window sill. After putting the bag away, Tetsuya began to unwind on the bed until he saw Yumi standing there in the doorway with the memoir he finished earlier in the day in her hand.

"Did you finish the task like your mother told you to, sweetie?" Tetsuya asked while looking at Yumi.

"Yes, I did, Daddy." Yumi replied in a calm tone.

"Good job, Yumi." Tetsuya said in response.

"Thank you, Daddy. So, you finished writing up the story you wanted to in this journal?" Yumi said as she held out the memoir with both hands.

"Yes, I finished it not too long after you and your mom left this morning. You know, sweetie, even though it took me some time to find the right words to put in there since I knew that I would give it you right away. Try to take your time reading it is all I can say because this memoir will be something I believe you will strongly treasure forever." Tetsuya replied as he rubbed Yumi's head.

"Ok, Daddy. I will try to read it slowly word for word when I have the chance." Yumi said after she hugged Tetsuya and was about to put the memoir back in her bedroom.

"Tetsuya, Yumi. Dinner time." Yuki shouted all the way from the kitchen.

Once Tetsuya and Yumi made it to the dining room, they notice that Yuki was just placing the dinner plates onto the table. Then the family proceeded to eat dinner without saying much or barely any words to each other. By the time Yumi got done with her plate and cleaned it off, she went ahead to give both Tetsuya and Yuki goodnight kisses before heading to take her bath.

"Dinner was good, Yuki." Tetsuya stated after he cleaned up the rest of the dinner dishes.

"Thank you, my love. So, did you find the clothes I got you earlier?" Yuki asked with a curious look on her face.

"Yes, I found them, Yuki. I had packed some of them already for the beach trip. So, thank you for getting me those clothes and swim gear. I appreciated it." Tetsuya replied after he gave Yuki a forehead kiss.

"Oh, you're welcome, Tetsuya. Seems that you're in a happy mood." Yuki said with a smile on her face.

"I sure am, Yuki. It's because I got my memoir finished earlier today and gave it to Yumi, but I told her to take her time reading it. I figured that would be a very precious item she might cherish." Tetsuya said with the smile on his face.

"I'm very glad to hear that, my love. You know me and Yumi had a great outing today." Yuki stated after she and Tetsuya got settled in the bedroom.

"I was meaning to ask how your bonding time with Yumi turned out. Since you were feeling anxious about it before you guys left this morning." Tetsuya said with a concern look on his face.

"Well, I took Yumi to the burger joint that we used go to a lot. Then right as we were about to leave the restaurant I had suddenly felt anxious just like I was this morning. However, I realized why I had felt that way and it was that the outing had been my first big opportunity to spend time with Yumi." Yuki said with a sigh under her breath.

"Yuki, so how did Yumi react to all of this?" Tetsuya asked with a curious look on his face.

"She reassured me that I will never be left out and more importantly that she would come to me about advice on woman things. So, that made me feel really happy that I am doing a good job as her mother as to the point that she mentioned some people think she gets some facial features from me." Yuki replied while trying to hold back tears.

"You know what Yuki. I think we are raising our daughter the right way. I could tell you learned a whole lot about Yumi today. It has me wondering about something." Tetsuya said with a calm tone.

"What would that be, my love?" Yuki asked in response.

"It had me wondering how wonderful our beach trip will be." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

Before Tetsuya or Yuki could say anything else, Tetsuya's cell phone goes off and he decides to take the call on the balcony on the backside of the apartment.

"Hello, Professor." Tetsuya stated once answered the phone call to notice that the Sarutobi residence was on his caller ID.

"Hello, Tetsuya. I heard from Minato that you are fully healed again." Hiruzen stated on his end of the phone conversation.

"There's another reason why you wanted to call me besides catching up, Professor. What is it?" Tetsuya stated in a curious tone.

"Alright, Tetsuya. There might be some good news about the whereabouts of your mother and father. I had visited with Lord First and Lady Mito earlier today to see how things were back in the Sacred Estate. Well they told me that not too long ago they along with Lord Second had scouted out a fellow clansman who stayed at the estate revealed to them that two people who matched the description of your long-lost parents were living at a small house on a beach not far from where you and Kushina live at now. I don't know if you will search for them while you're out on this beach trip with your wife and daughter because Minato had told me you were leaving for that as well. That is why I wanted to call you." Hiruzen stated on his end of the phone call.

"I'll think about it, Professor. Even though it's been around forty years since I last saw my parents, but this is the best lead of finding them ever since I came up here to the Pure Land. Anyways, I better let you go. Good night." Tetsuya stated even though his hands were shaking while still holding the cell phone.

"Good night, Tetsuya." Hiruzen stated before hanging up his phone.

Then Tetsuya shut the balcony door right behind him and walked back into the bedroom to see that Yuki was still awake waiting on him to come back. However, Tetsuya's facial expression turned into a smile with a few tears dripping down his face and Yuki started to get concerned about her husband.

"Tetsuya, my love. Why are you crying?" Yuki asked out of concern.

"You remember how I told you a long time ago that I tried to look for my parents, but no luck happened. Well it turned out that the phone call I got call from our family friends, the Sarutobis, they had a visit with the owners of the Sacred Estate today and through some information from a visitor that had recently stayed with them I guess my parents might be living around the same beach that our vacation spot is going to be at. Also, if I find my mom and dad I really don't know what to say them because I haven't seen them since I was four years old when my home village was destroyed." Tetsuya said with the tears starting to gradually fade away.

"Don't worry, Tetsuya. If you do find your mother and father just think all of the good things you've done like starting and raising this wonderful family you have right here." Yuki stated as she wiped Tetsuya's tears off his face.

"Thank you, Yuki. I don't know what I would do without you." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

Yuki smiled as she hugged Tetsuya before they began to fall asleep.


	15. Beach Trip Part One

Three days had passed by, Tetsuya's family was all packed up and ready to head out for their beach trip. Yuki suggested that she, Tetsuya, and Yumi would leave for the beach after they got done eating up breakfast. By the time breakfast was finished and cleaned up, Tetsuya grabbed his and Yuki's bags while Yuki opened the door for her family before she could lock up the apartment.

There was nothing but excitement coming out of Yumi's face from the time she left the apartment until she saw both her mother and father stop at the front of the sandy dunes of the beach. Then Yumi with her bag in her hand followed her parents all the way to a nice-looking beach house just a few feet away. This put a smile on her face after stepping inside the beach house upon realizing that it is going to be the same one which her family reserved for the entire week.

"So, sweetie. How do you like this beach house?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"It's nice and very close to the beach, Daddy." Yumi replied with a smile on her face.

"That's good to hear. Why don't you go unpack and play out on the beach for a little while, ok?" Tetsuya asked while rubbing Yumi's head.

"Ok, Daddy. I'll go do that right now." Yumi answered as she found an empty room to unpack and change into her swimsuit.

Yuki, who had just changed into her swimsuit and unpacked her things in another room volunteered to watch Yumi while she played out on the beach. However, before Yuki stepped outside to watch Yumi, she stopped Tetsuya from entering the room that she put her belongings in so she could try to talk to him.

"Tetsuya, my love, will you come out and join us?" Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, I will, Yuki. Just that I will be out there in a couple of minutes." Tetsuya replied with a sigh under his breath.

"If you're planning on looking for your parents out here like we were talking about the other night. Then I wish you the best of luck, my love. Try to come back soon, ok. I love you alright." Yuki stated as she started to sense Tetsuya's motive.

"Thank you for understanding, Yuki. I love you too. I promise to not be back late on my search." Tetsuya stated after giving Yuki a hug and kiss.

So, Yuki went out on the beach to watch Yumi play while Tetsuya walked around to begin the search of his long-lost parents.

Tetsuya's search took him about two miles past the beach house where he, Yuki and Yumi were staying at until he notices a pier on the left side of where he had been walking. Upon further glancing at the pier, Tetsuya notices a bench on the very end of the pier about a half mile from where he was standing and two people sitting on the bench. Then Tetsuya decided to walk up towards the end of the pier to notice that the two people who were sitting on bench earlier suddenly got up like they were expecting his arrival. The first person that got up from the bench was a woman with red hair but not if Kushina's and the second person was a tall male with narrow red hair like Tetsuya's.

"It looked like Kushina didn't do that bad of a job of what we entrusted her right before coming up here long ago, my dear." The man said to the woman standing next to him.

"I guess so...honey. But it's hard to believe that the man right in front of us could be our son. Is that really you, my young son, Tetsuya Uzumaki?" The woman asked Tetsuya who was beyond speechless since he couldn't believe what was standing right in front of him.

"Yes, it's me your son...I have waited so long for this moment, you know." Tetsuya replied with tears running down his face before embracing his long-lost mother and father.

"You are our son, Tetsuya. We're sorry for abandoning you along with your sister at very young age." Tetsuya's mother and father said in unison.

"It's ok. Besides Kushina watching over me was a great thing and she did a great job at it which I am thankful for to this very day. So that I can deal with." Tetsuya said after he wiped the tears off his face.

"So, what's your sister been up to?" Tetsuya's father asked out of curiosity.

"Hmm...well she lives not too far from me. Also, she got married to a kind guy who appreciates everything she does, and they have a kid that's fully-grown but lives in a different area. But I do see Kushina on a regular basis. If you want to see what I am talking about then you and Mom should come by for a visit sometime." Tetsuya replied with an honest tone.

"That sounds wonderful, son. I think your mother wants to ask you something." Tetsuya's father said with a calm tone.

"What about you, Tetsuya? Do you have a family like Kushina?" Tetsuya's mother asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, I do. I have a wonderful wife named Yuki and amazing daughter named Yumi. They are over there playing on the beach just about two miles from here if you want to meet them. Because I planned on being around here for a week as a family trip not that long ago. Anyway, my wife is a head cook at a noodle shop in the major shopping district and my daughter is a school student. As for me, I am a on-and-off manager of the bakery that my wife's family owns." Tetsuya replied with a smile on his face.

"That is wonderful, sweetheart. Me and your father really do want to meet your family." Tetsuya's mother said with a smile on her face.

"That would be great. Can tomorrow work for you and Dad? Reason I'm asking is that I just got reacquainted with you guys and had a busy with traveling." Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"That will be fine for the both of us, Tetsuya. Well we better get going now." Tetsuya's mother said before she and Tetsuya's father left the pier to head back to their home which was on the other side of the pier.

Tetsuya began to walk away from the pier with a huge smile on his face after reuniting with his mother and father. While on the way back to beach house, Tetsuya was seeing how majestic the waves were along the beach shore line and notice that Yumi was coming towards his direction with a towel covering her.

"Oh, hi, sweetie. How did you like the water?" Tetsuya stated after hugging Yumi.

"It was cold, Daddy. I convinced Mommy to play in the water with me even though she didn't want to at first. After that I got to play in the sand. When Mommy told me to dry off after I got done playing, she told me to come and find you because dinner was on its way here." Yumi replied with a smile on her face.

"I'm glad that you had fun out there today, sweetie." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face even though he was looking at the pier.

"What is it, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"There is something that I want to tell you, sweetie. Well it's that..." Tetsuya replied with hesitation in his voice.

"Mommy sort of told me while we were playing earlier, Daddy. About you trying to find Grandma and Grandpa? So, how did your search turn out?" Yumi asked out of curiosity as she noticed Tetsuya's facial expression turned into shock.

"It turned out that your grandparents are indeed here. They were sitting on that pier bench earlier. Sorry if I'm tearing up a bit, sweetie. It's that..." Tetsuya replied as tears started to come down on his face a bit and Yumi wiped them off.

"I understand, Daddy. So, does Mommy." Yumi stated once she and Tetsuya made it back to the beach house.

Upon entering the beach house, Yumi escorted her father to where her mother was sitting at before heading off into the room she was staying at to get some clean clothes for her post-bath. That was when Tetsuya explained to Yuki the entire conversation he had with Yumi about the encounter with his parents and it was all smiles for Yuki to hear everything.

Before the conversation could continue, a knock was heard on the front door which indicated that the food Yuki called to be delivered had arrived. Then just as Yuki was placing the food on the table, Yumi had just got out of the bath and headed straight for the dining room to join her parents.

"Hmm...this is delicious." Yumi stated after taking the first bite of her dinner.

"That's good to know, sweetheart." Yuki said in response after eating half of her dinner.

"What's the matter, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of concern.

"It's nothing, sweetie. I'm okay. Don't forget to discard your plate and utensils in the garbage over there." Tetsuya said with a calm tone while looking at the beach.

"Alright, I will do it. Good night Mommy and Daddy." Yumi said once she took her last bite of dinner, placed her plate in the garbage, and gave her parents goodnight hugs before heading off to bed.

"Tetsuya, my love. I hope we don't dinners like this every single night we're out here." Yuki said with a queasy look on her face.

"It shouldn't be and speaking of that, Yuki. I hope you don't mind this, but my mother and father want to stop by for dinner tomorrow night. So, this would be the opportunity per say to have one decent dinner." Tetsuya said while putting his hand behind his shoulder.

"That's okay with me, Tetsuya. You're not in trouble or anything for that since you said it in advance instead of last minute like most people do, you know." Yuki said with a smile on her face.

"Oh, you're right." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

Tetsuya got up to place his and Yuki's plates in the garbage before looking through the window to see someone sitting there alone by a fire pit. Then Tetsuya decided to step outside to see who it was sitting by the fire pit on the beach only to see that it was his mother and he decided to sit next to her.

"What are you doing out here alone, Mom?" Tetsuya asked out of concern.

"Oh, Tetsuya, sweetheart. I just come out here to think on many things and if you're wondering yes your father knows that I do this." Tetsuya's mother said in response.

"Did you have anything to think about on this night?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, and it was bothering me a little since we talked back at the pier earlier. You see, sweetheart, me and your father were informed about what happened to you recently by the Ultimate Gatekeeper and he explained to us how you were looking for us once but forgot all about it. Then a person who had ties to the village we had you and Kushina transfer to told me and your father that you would be around here so that was why we knew the pier was the perfect spot to meet-up with you. Your father sensed that was troubling me when we left earlier, and I figured if you came out here to listen what I said just now." Tetsuya's mother replied with a sigh under her breath.

"Mom, thank you for being honest with me. To tell you the truth, I sometimes have a hard time explaining things that are bothering me even to my own wife. I don't know if that's a bad thing or not." Tetsuya said in a calm tone.

"Oh, Tetsuya. I believe that if you hold in a problem for too long it shows how insecure you are as a person and that's something your father told me a long time ago. So, it seems you picked up that quirk from me my bad." Tetsuya's mother said after nudging him.

Then Tetsuya smiled before looking to see that Yuki was coming outside from the beach house. This made Tetsuya feel a little nervous on how he was going to introduce Yuki in front of his mother. Tetsuya's mother noticed what was going on and decided to stand up to walk a few inches away from the fire pit.

"Yuki, this is my mother. Mom, I want you to meet my wife, Yuki." Tetsuya stated the introductions after he got up from the fire pit area.

"It's nice to meet you, Yuki. Tetsuya was telling me good things about you." Tetsuya's mother stated after shaking Yuki's hand and hugging Yuki.

"It is nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Uzumaki. There are many good stories that Tetsuya can tell you about me." Yuki said after greeting herself to Tetsuya's mother.

"So, I'm guessing meeting my granddaughter would have to wait until tomorrow. But that's ok for people at her age she would need to get all the rest they need." Tetsuya's mother said while looking at the stars.

"You know, Mom. There is one thing I can tell you about your granddaughter right now and is that she has red hair just like me. But she is really looking forward to meeting you and Dad tomorrow. Wouldn't you agree, Yuki?" Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"Yes, she is. The best thing I can say about Yumi is that she is kind and very caring towards others." Yuki said with a smile on her face.

"Yumi, hmm...that is a lovely name. Hardly hear of such names like those around here anymore." Tetsuya's mother said in response.

"Why thank you, Mom. The name had a beautiful meaning behind it when me and Yuki picked it about a week before she was born." Tetsuya said in response.

Yuki was starting to get tired and headed back to the beach house; but not before saying good night to her mother in law and husband. Then Tetsuya's mother had a smile on her face towards her son which caught him off guard.

"Your wife is a very nice person, Tetsuya. She impressed me very much." Tetsuya's mother said with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Mom. To be honest with you, I don't know what she would do without me." Tetsuya said with a calm tone.

"What was your wife like before she met you, sweetheart? It's ok with me if you don't want to talk about it." Tetsuya's mother asked out of curiosity.

"Well, Yuki was outgoing and had a lot of friends who looked up to her. However, there had been an incident just around three years before I met her. She had spent her birthday with her family on that day and decided to take her younger sister shopping but by the time they had got done with the excursion her sister collapsed. This made Yuki secluded from everybody to where she lost her friends and her demeanor was on the dumps." Tetsuya replied with a sigh under his breath.

"So, can I ask what got her out of the seclusion you were mentioning, Tetsuya?" Tetsuya's mother asked with great interest.

"Meeting me, Mom. You see I had been on my way to a class one day and she had been standing there not knowing what to do so I gave her some advice which helped her move onward to the school. Then I sat next to her at lunch on that fateful day since she was alone, and I started talking to her which made her feel happy for the first time since that incident. As time passed, my feelings for Yuki were blossoming like crazy especially on that day but decided to hold off on telling her until her birthday which had been a couple of weeks after that encounter. Yuki's family had me come as a surprise guest on her birthday, but I had to hide and when that happened is when I felt at peace since Yuki put her seclusion to rest on that night. Once I popped in as the surprise and proceeded to leave for my residence, that was when I had the courage to pour out my feelings to Yuki. Are you ok, Mom?" Tetsuya said before noticing his mom was getting ready to tear up.

"Yes, it's just that was one of the best love origin stories I've ever heard, Tetsuya. You did a great job in saving someone and made them feel loved. I am proud of you." Tetsuya's mother said in response.

"Thank you so much, Mom. What was you and Dad's love story like?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Well umm...sweetheart, I met your father when we were children and as you probably know most of our clan were sealing experts or even had to be taken away from the home village to become a vessel of some kind just like what happened to your sister. Sorry to get off track there but where was I oh yes, one day I had picking up some flowers in the field about a few feet near the Eddy Village border and some guy was pestering me to head back but I refused so he ends up knocking me out cold. The next thing I remember is when I come back to I see a boy about my age that was holding the same flowers and later revealed to me that he was the one who beat up that guy who was pestering me." Tetsuya's mother stated in a little nervous tone.

"The boy that handed you the flowers back and dealt with your bully. Was that?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, it was your father. I would never forget how he helped me like that, and it was because of this is what made me fall in love with your dad." Tetsuya's mother stated with a smile on her face.

Tetsuya had a smile on his face when he heard the response from his mother and noticed the ripple effect of the waves had caused the fire pit to go out. This caused some concern for Tetsuya, but his mother placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about getting more firewood, sweetheart. Because I am about to head back home." Tetsuya's mother said in a reassuring tone.

"Ok, Mom. Have a good night. Thank you for letting me talk to you out here. I love you." Tetsuya said as he hugged his mother.

"I love you too, my son. It was a pleasure to have you come out here and talk to me even introducing your wife to me. Good night. See you tomorrow." Tetsuya's mother said right before she left the beach.

Then Tetsuya walked back inside with a smile on his face to see Yuki sitting in the lounging area with two cups of water. Once Yuki noticed Tetsuya was in the lounging area she had a curious look on her face.

"Sorry, if I took a long time out there after you came back in here, Yuki." Tetsuya said after taking a sip of water.

"Oh, that's ok, Tetsuya. I'm not mad just happy for you is all that you wanted to catch up with your mother. So, how did she think of me?" Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"My mother was very impressed by you actually on how nice and respectful you were towards her." Tetsuya replied with a honest tone.

"I'm really glad to hear that, you know." Yuki said with a smile on her face.


	16. Beach Trip Part Two

The following morning, Tetsuya went outside to sit on the beach to look at the majestic waves of the water and peering sand. Then he noticed a short time after sitting down that Yumi was coming in his direction while Yuki looked on from the beach house balcony. Before he could say anything to Yumi, Tetsuya wiped off some food residue from breakfast that was still on Yumi's cheek.

"The water is pretty, Daddy." Yumi said with a joyous look on her face.

"I knew you would be amazed at the scenery of the beach when it's bright out, sweetie. There is a neat place where you can see the rest of the beach. Come along I will take you there. We will be back in a while, Yuki." Tetsuya stated as he was about to take Yumi to the pier and Yuki nodded in response to the last part of his statement.

On the way to the pier, Tetsuya held on to Yumi's hand and he noticed how happy his daughter was about seeing the beach. Upon reaching the pier, Tetsuya pointed out to Yumi to be careful while on the pier and she assured her safety by finding the rails which made Tetsuya feel relieved.

While walking around the pier, Tetsuya noticed that both his mother and father were sitting on the same bench as they were the day prior in which he motioned Yumi to come by him. Then Tetsuya's mother noticed that Tetsuya was on the pier and nudged his father who was napping to wake up. Yumi, however, was a little nervous about meeting her grandparents so she stood by her father.

"Good morning, Tetsuya. Enjoying this fine morning and seeing the scenery from up here. Who is the little girl you got with you?" Tetsuya's father stated after noticing Tetsuya standing on the pier.

"Mom, Dad. I want you to meet your granddaughter, Yumi." Tetsuya said after giving Yumi a push to walk forward.

Then Yumi proceeded to talk to her grandparents after they exchanged introductory greetings back to her. While the talks were going on, Tetsuya decided to look at the beach until he was tapped on the shoulder by his father.

"Is something wrong, Dad?" Tetsuya asked out of concern.

"No, son. I figured I let your mother talk to your daughter for a while and I think you're doing a good job raising her just by looking at her." Tetsuya's father replied while looking at Tetsuya's mother and Yumi.

"Thank you, Dad." Tetsuya said in a calm tone.

"Any time, son. Oh, by the way there is something I must tell you. Last night while your mother was outside talking to you, I decided to call your sister last night and it went straight to voicemail." Tetsuya's father said in a calm tone.

"Did you leave Kushina a message?" Tetsuya asked out of concern.

"Yes, the message was very long and like what me and your mother told you right at this spot last night. Also, if she wanted to accept our forgiveness that she can come down and visit. Once your mother found out that I had done this she was happy for me and we had a tear not knowing if Kushina or her family will come." Tetsuya's father replied in an honest tone.

"I believe that Kushina will come, Dad. She had missed you and Mom for a long time even while she was trying to raise me. So, I think this was the right you could do to bring back the entire family again." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Tetsuya. I really appreciated that." Tetsuya's father said with a smile on his face.

Tetsuya and his father notice that Yumi and Tetsuya's mother were done with their conversation. So, with that the four of them proceeded to leave the pier in the direction of the beach house. On the way back to the beach house, Yumi decided to get a head start while Tetsuya stayed behind with his parents. However, Tetsuya's father went on ahead just after he noticed his son's facial expression about his granddaughter going way ahead of them.

This caused a look of concern on Tetsuya's mother just a few moments later.

"It's going to be alright, sweetheart. Your father will make sure your daughter won't get hurt." Tetsuya's mother said in a comforting tone.

"Thanks, Mom." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"You know. Yumi and I had a good conversation back there at the pier. Other than what you were describing about her to me last night, she has got a good chip on her shoulders. By looking at her right now, I must think she looks up to you a lot, sweetheart." Tetsuya's mother stated as she and Tetsuya were getting to closer to the beach house.

"Yes, she does. To tell you the truth Mom, she wants to be like me when she gets older, but I had my doubts about it at first instead of being happy for her and giving guidance. When it came time to nearly put myself in a comatose state, I realized that if this was something that Yumi wants to do then I will support her every step of the way." Tetsuya said with a calm tone.

Tetsuya's mother had a smile on her face as soon as she heard that statement. Then she and Tetsuya were rejoined by Yumi and Tetsuya's father near the stairs that lead to the beach house. The group was led by Tetsuya before he opened the door to see Yuki getting chairs out of the storage closet.

Tetsuya helped Yuki place the chairs in the lounging chair before motioning his parents and Yumi to come inside the beach house.

"Yuki, I want you to meet my father. Dad, this is my wife Yuki." Tetsuya stated the introductions of Yuki and Tetsuya's father.

"It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Uzumaki." Yuki stated after giving a proper introductory greeting to Tetsuya's father.

"It is nice to meet you, Yuki." Tetsuya's father stated his introductions to his daughter in law.

"Do you want anything to drink, Mom or Dad?" Tetsuya asked after his parents took a seat.

"Water will be fine." Tetsuya's mother replied on behalf of her and her husband.

"So, we hear that you work at a noodle shop. That means you like to cook a lot, Yuki?" Tetsuya's father asked out of curiosity.

"Well I've enjoyed cooking ever since I was a little child when my mom first taught me how and it's stuck with me ever since." Yuki replied with a smile on her face.

"Oh...that is wonderful. So, what is the best meal that you like to cook for Tetsuya?" Tetsuya's mother asked with a smile.

"To be honest, the best meal I have ever made for Tetsuya would be pork cutlets and rice. That's because he likes it the way I make it and when I first met him that was the first dinner I ever cooked for him. But no worries, he dabbles in his fair share of cooking himself." Yuki replied with a smile on her face.

"Interesting. So, what kind of meal for example would my son make that is out of this world?" Tetsuya's mother said with a curious look.

"Grandma, my daddy's famous special dish is good but me and my mom never know what he puts in it that makes it so great. It's one of my favorite dishes." Yumi replied with a smirk on her face.

"Oh, really. Is that true, Tetsuya?" Tetsuya's mother said in a wondrous tone.

"Yes, Mom. I do make a special dish on certain occasions unlike when I first came up with the recipe a few years ago." Tetsuya replied in a honest tone.

That was when a smile came on Tetsuya's mother's face after taking a sip of her water while his father on the other hand had a sigh of relief. Then Yuki looked at Yumi with a smile on her face as if she was giving her cue to say something.

"Oh, I go to school on a regular basis but they're out on break right now." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"That's great to hear. So, what year of school are you in?" Tetsuya's father asked out of curiosity.

"I'm in my second-year elementary grade student at an academy, Grandpa." Yumi replied with a calm tone.

"Do you do any activities for school? Are you one of the top marked students in your class, Yumi?" Tetsuya's mother asked out of curiosity.

"Well I just got done with a soccer league around four months ago and I try to be involved as much I can for class activities. Yes, I get high marks on all of my tests at school." Yumi replied with a smile on her face.

Yumi after replying to those questions proceeded to the beach house bathroom. Then, Tetsuya's mother and father looked at Tetsuya who was getting ready to refill their glasses of water with smiles on their faces. This had made Yuki curious until she realized why her in laws had those smiles and started to feel proud of both her and Tetsuya.

"Mom, Dad. Can I ask the both of you something?" Tetsuya asked in a calm tone.

"Yes, son. What is it?" Tetsuya's father replied with a calm voice.

"Between the both of you, who would Yumi most resemble if any traits were traced back to you or mom?" Tetsuya answered in an honest tone.

"I would have to say she could be more like me, sweetheart. I could tell just by talking to her earlier she had nearly the same personality that I did when I was her age." Tetsuya's mother answered in a calm tone.

"Hmm...it does make sense. However, Yuki, do you have anybody in your own family that is like Yumi?" Tetsuya's father stated before coming with a definitive answer.

"Well I thought my father would be someone that was like Yumi in terms of personality but her capacity to care for things and interpretation of love is way different than his. You see me and Tetsuya had a talk about this a long time ago right after we had noticed she helped out somebody out without us prompting her to." Yuki answered in an honest tone.

"Hmm...so that must explain why I have the special connection with Yumi is because she reminds me of you, Mom. I really don't know what to say." Tetsuya said right before he was about to hug his mother.

"It's ok, sweetheart. Don't cry." Tetsuya's mother said in a assuring tone.

"Yumi, sweetie. Can you get the door?" Tetsuya said as he heard a knock on the door.

"Who could that be, Tetsuya?" Yuki asked out of concern.

Then Tetsuya whispered into Yuki's ear a possibility and the conversation that his dad had with him back at the pier. Yuki after hearing the news decided to cooperate in anyway she can to make things comfortable at the beach house. Tetsuya walked to Yumi's direction in figuring out why she wasn't answering the door. Upon looking at the door hole to see two familiar faces standing outside, Kushina and Minato with bags in tow, Tetsuya explained to Yumi that everything was going to be alright and let them in the beach house.

By the time Yumi let in Kushina and Minato, Tetsuya notices that his and Kushina's parents along with Yuki are not in the lounging area and so he decides to look for them. It didn't take him long before Tetsuya found his mother and father alongside Yuki in the room that he and Yuki were staying in at the beach house.

"So, who was at the door, Tetsuya?" Yuki asked out of concern.

"It is them. Looks like they're going to be a part of this vacation as well since I saw bags with them. Can you stall them for a quick minute, please? I'll repay you later, dear." Tetsuya answered as honest as he could while referring to Minato and Kushina as them.

"Alright, Tetsuya, my love. You owe me big time." Yuki stated before she went to rendezvous with Yumi to preoccupy Kushina and Minato.

"What is going on, son?" Tetsuya's father asked out of concern.

"Ok, here goes. When Yumi tried to answer the door earlier she was hesitant about opening it because she looked through the door hole to see that it was Kushina and her husband. That means Kushina did get your message from last night, Dad. However, the reason I wanted to talk to you and Mom in here first before talking to her first is to see if you need me on the side when you guys do talk to her." Tetsuya answered with a sigh under his breath.

"Hmm...I think you should be in there when me and you father talk to your sister. Wouldn't you agree, dear?" Tetsuya's mother said in a calm tone.

"Yes, I would. I mean this would be the first time in so many years that we all be in the same room and such with our family being reunited with new additions. Even if some of them couldn't make it this time but there will be a next time." Tetsuya's father answered with a smile on his face.

"That is fine with me and I just wanted to make sure. Now let me go check to see if everything's set up and it looks like it is." Tetsuya stated before he noticed a hand gesture from a hallway telling him to come to the lounging area.

Once Tetsuya brought his mother and father into the lounging area, he noticed that both Kushina and Minato were in there while Yuki and Yumi were in the kitchen watching. Minato proceeded to introduce himself to Tetsuya and Kushina's parents in which they greeted him back before he walked into the kitchen area by Yuki and Yumi. However, Kushina was still standing there not knowing what to do with her facial expression all but neutral.

Tetsuya then walked up to Kushina and whispered into her ear that the people she was looking at are their mother and father. Then Tetsuya stepped back to the side between Kushina and their parents to see what would happen next.

"Mom...Dad...it is you." Kushina stated right as she hugged her and Tetsuya's parents.

"Oh, Kushina, darling. Just like we told your brother recently me and your father are very sorry for leaving you guys at a very young age." Tetsuya and Kushina's mother said after getting out of the hug.

"I understand, Mom. I got the message that Dad left last night on my voicemail and played it back a couple of times before I realized that I had to find you guys as well just like Tetsuya did to accept your forgiveness." Kushina said with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Kushina. That means a lot you know your brother praised on how well you did on raising him on our behalf." Tetsuya and Kushina's father said with a smile on her face.

"I knew that he would talk good about how I raised him while he tried to make sure I didn't get into any trouble, you know." Kushina stated while nudging Tetsuya on the arm.

"Ok, Sis. Not in front of Mom and Dad." Tetsuya said after checking his arm.

"Hmm-hmm...it feels wonderful to be surrounded by our daughter and son once again, wouldn't you agree honey." Tetsuya and Kushina's father said in a pleasant mood.

"Yes, it does and makes my heart completely happy again. This makes me want to hug them both just like the last time we were all together." Tetsuya and Kushina's mother said before she about to hug her family.

This prompted Yuki who was in the kitchen still to get out her phone to take a picture of the lovely sight that she, Yumi, and Minato were witnessing too. "_Daddy, the wish you wrote in the beginning of your memoir finally came true_." Yumi thought to herself after comparing the sight she was witnessing to an excerpt of the memoir Tetsuya entrusted her with.

Tetsuya then walked over to where Yuki and Yumi were since he just noticed that they took the picture of the emotional reunion and he wanted to see it. So, Yuki showed Tetsuya the picture and he started to have a beaming smile on his face as a reaction before requesting that he show Kushina and his parents the photo. Once he showed Kushina and their parents the photo that Yuki took, Tetsuya noticed the reactions were identical to his own and proceeded to give Yuki back her phone.

Before he could say anything, Tetsuya felt Yumi tugging on his shirt like she wanted to talk to him about something, but she wanted to discuss it outside. Feeling a bit curious into what was going on, Tetsuya followed Yumi outside while Yuki decided to head towards the bathroom.

"What is it, sweetie?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Daddy, would have I have to give up my room here since Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato are here now." Yumi answered with a sad look on her face.

"Of course not, sweetie. This beach house has 3 bedrooms and 2 separate bathrooms. So, there will be plenty of room for your aunt and uncle. Is what's been bothering you?" Tetsuya asked while rubbing Yumi's head.

"Well...sort of. Also, I wanted to say sorry for not answering the door right away earlier, Daddy. I didn't want to cause a big scene in front of Grandma and Grandpa." Yumi replied in a sad voice.

"Oh, Yumi. I'm sorry for putting you in that kind of situation. It was a little surprising for me as well to see your aunt and uncle here. But to tell you the truth sweetie, I kind of expected for them to show up." Tetsuya said while rubbing Yumi's head.

"What do you mean, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"Well your grandfather had told me earlier that he tried to get in contact with your Aunt Kushina but never got an answer back. I guess she listened to your grandpa's voicemail many times and had the courage to come here since she knew that we were out in this area anyways. It makes me feel very happy you know that, sweetie." Tetsuya said after hugging Yumi.

"I know, Daddy. It reminded me so much of the wish that you wanted to happen in your memoir and now this has come true." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"You know, sweetie. You're right. It looks like your grandparents are trying to get to know your uncle alongside your aunt with her non-stop jabbering." Tetsuya said with a chuckle at the end of his statement.

"Daddy, you know that Aunt Kushina likes to talk a lot when she's excited, so it isn't that funny." Yumi stated as she nudged Tetsuya.

"Ok, you got me there, sweetie. Let's head back inside before your mother starts wondering why we've been out here longer than expected." Tetsuya stated as he and Yumi headed back inside the beach house.

Once Tetsuya and Yumi entered the beach house, they didn't see Yuki either in the kitchen or the lounging area. So, it left for Tetsuya to check in the room that he and Yuki were staying at but before he went to search in there he told Yumi to ask her grandparents, aunt and uncle if they wanted anything to drink. By the time Tetsuya made it to the room, he saw that Yuki was in there sitting on the bed with a curious look on her face.

"What did Yumi want to talk you about, my love?" Yuki asked with curiosity.

"Oh, she was concerned about rooming now that Kushina and Minato are here. I told her that's taken care of since the beach house is big enough for them as well. Also, she apologized to me for not answering the door to them earlier because she didn't want to cause a scene towards my parents. Other than that, we wounded up talking about how Kushina and Minato are talking to my mom and dad to getting to know them better." Tetsuya replied with a calm tone.

"I see so she was worried about the same thing I was earlier, but I'm glad that you got it taken care of." Yuki stated before she kissed Tetsuya.

"Thank you, Yuki. Do you think we should make the main meal a simple one like yesterday? I mean with the unexpected arrival of Kushina and Minato barely gave us some time to think of an idea for anything." Tetsuya said while putting his hand over his shoulder.

"Hmm...well, now that you come to think about it my love. That is a good idea but if we do that let's not pick the place I ordered from last night. Let's hope your parents and even Yumi understands why we have to do this." Yumi said with a calm tone.

"No worries, Yuki. I think they will understand since this will be a special occasion after all, you know." Tetsuya said as he held onto Yuki's hand.

Then Tetsuya and Yuki headed to the lounging area to see that Yumi, Kushina, Minato, and Tetsuya's parents were expecting them to show up. It was in that moment when Tetsuya explained to everyone about the meal situation and they understood right away that it would be a little while before the food would arrive. This prompted Yuki to place the food order, but she had to do it on the balcony since that was where her cell phone service was the strongest.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya and Kushina's mother stepped out on the beach while Tetsuya decided to follow her. Noticing that Tetsuya had followed her to the beach area, Tetsuya and Kushina's mother motioned him to come take a seat right next to her.

"Minato seems to be a really kind and nice guy. He really seems to love and care for your sister a lot. That's the impression me and your father got of him." Tetsuya's mother said with a smile on her face.

"I'm amazed to hear that, Mom. You know he is my best friend and those are some of the reasons why I've remained his friend for as long as I have." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"I'm happy to hear that, sweetheart. Can I ask you something?" Tetsuya's mother said with a pleasant tone.

"Sure, Mom. What is it?" Tetsuya asked in response.

"Kushina told me and your father that you had eradicated some darkness inside her and revealed to her something about you sacrificing your hopes to make her life happy. Is it true, sweetheart?" Tetsuya's mother asked out of concern.

"Yes, Mom. It's true and that occurred on a trip to the Sacred Estate right before I proposed to my wife. You see Kushina had negative vibes on that trip which one of our clan's higher ups noticed along with Yuki and that was when I had to put an end to it. Even though I exhausted all of my energy to get rid of Kushina's dark side and once she came back to her normal self that was when I told her a promise I made after we were separated from you and Dad. After I told her everything about that promise and how it got fulfilled, Kushina told me to do what's best for me. Ever since then the bond between me and her has gotten closer and stronger." Tetsuya said with an honest tone.

"Oh, Tetsuya, sweetheart." Tetsuya's mother stated right before she hugged him tightly.

"Mom, it's ok. Oh, it looks like Yumi is motioning us to come back inside the beach house." Tetsuya stated while looking up at the beach house seeing Yumi waving her out hand out the window for Tetsuya and his mother.

Tetsuya and his mother went back inside the beach house to see that everyone was about to sit down in the lounging area since the dinner Yuki ordered for had arrived. Yumi proceeded to bless the food before anyone could take a bite.

Once everyone took a bite of their dinner, it seemed that the food tasted delicious. Then by the time dinner was done and over with, Tetsuya and Kushina's parents started to head back to their home but not before thanking Tetsuya for the dinner, the day's events, and meeting Minato and Yumi.

After the mess from dinner was cleaned up with, Yumi headed off to bed but not before saying good night to her parents and aunt and uncle. However, Tetsuya reminded Yumi to take a bath first before going to bed. Then Tetsuya got a chance to sit down in the lounging area next to Yuki and across from Kushina and Minato after cleaning up the dinner garbage.

"It was great to meet your parents for the first time today, Tetsuya and Kushina. They were really nice and respectful people." Minato said in a calm tone.

"Thank you, Minato." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"Yes, thank you for the compliment, Minato. You know." Kushina stated with a calm tone.

"I couldn't agree with you more. Oh, do you guys want to go see the beach now or hold it off until tomorrow?" Yuki stated with a curious tone.

"Well, they can see it at any time. It's not going anywhere besides let's just relax a little, Yuki." Tetsuya replied on Kushina and Minato's behalf.

"Sorry...my love. I didn't mean to." Yuki stated in a nervous tone.

"It's ok, Yuki. I understand what you were trying to say." Tetsuya said while holding onto Yuki's hand.

"I'm getting tired. So, I don't know about you guys, but I am heading off to bed. Good night, Kushina, Tetsuya and Yuki." Minato said after yawning.

"Ok, Good night, Minato." Kushina, Tetsuya and Yuki said in unison.

A couple of minutes after Minato headed off to bed, Yuki noticed smoke coming from the beach. Since she was about to head off to bed, Yuki got Tetsuya and Kushina's attention about the smoke.

"Yuki, it's just like last night. Don't worry I'll lock up once me and Kushina come back inside. Try to get some sleep, ok. I love you." Tetsuya stated before he sent Yuki off to bed.

"Alright, I love you too. Just remember to lock up." Yuki said as she gave Tetsuya a good night kiss and headed off to bed.

"What did you mean to Yuki by last night about the smoke, little brother?" Kushina asked as she and Tetsuya as stepped outside of the beach house.

"Mom likes to sit outside on the beach at night time with a fire pit going and don't worry she told me that Dad knows about it. That is what I meant in my conversation to Yuki, Sis." Tetsuya replied as he and Kushina were getting closer to the fire pit.

Once they reached the fire pit, Tetsuya and Kushina saw their mother sitting around it with extra logs right by her foot. Then Tetsuya and Kushina's mother had a smile on her face once she saw her children were sitting right by her.

"Hi, Mom. I see that you brought some extra firewood with you." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

"I sure did, sweetheart. I see that you brought your sister out here with you." Tetsuya and Kushina's mother said in response.

"Hi...Mom." Kushina said in a nervous tone.

"Kushina, what's wrong?" Tetsuya asked out of concern.

"I can't think of much to say to Mom right now and it's upsetting me a bit because I know there is a lot of things that I want to tell. You know that feeling I'm talking about don't you." Kushina replied in a concerned tone.

"Oh, of course I know that feeling, Sis. But please don't feel down about it. Right, Mom?" Tetsuya said with an assuring tone.

"Most certainly. Enjoying this time with you guys means more than to see you get sad, darling. Just like your brother said." Tetsuya and Kushina's said with a smile.

"Think of something that you still appreciate to this very day, Sis. For example, I told Mom last night the backstory of how I fell in love with Yuki and in turn she told me how her and Dad fell in love." Tetsuya said with a smile.

"Ok, if you want me to then I will share the story about how me and Minato met." Kushina said with a smile on her face.

Then Kushina proceeded to tell her and Tetsuya's mother the story of how she and Minato fell in love. Once Kushina had got done telling her love story, Tetsuya had to put in two of the extra pieces of firewood that their mother had brought out into the fire pit. Suddenly, Tetsuya and Kushina's mother was amazed by the love story that Kushina told and reflected on the one that Tetsuya gave the night before.

"It fills my heart with joy to hear love stories from my daughter and son. Kushina, yours was like how mine turned out to be. Tetsuya, yours was very sweet on what you did for your wife. As your mother, I am proud for the both of you." Tetsuya and Kushina's mother stated with a tear dripping down her face.

"Aww...thank you, Mom." Tetsuya and Kushina said right as they hugged their mother.

"You're welcome." Tetsuya and Kushina's mother said after wiping the tears off her face.

A couple of minutes had passed when Tetsuya and Kushina's mother got up from the fire pit area and decided to head on home but not before saying good night to her children. Once they got done with their good night greeting to their mother, Tetsuya and Kushina decided to look at the gazing night sky.

Then Kushina pulled out a yellow-star pendant that was on a red ribbon out of her pocket and had a smile on her face. Tetsuya saw what Kushina had out in her hand and he noticed that it looked familiar.

"I've seen a pendant exactly like that once before, Sis." Tetsuya said with a curious tone.

"Oh, yes. I came across one of the girls that you rescued a while back, little brother. I think it was Komari. She wanted to me to give this to you as appreciation for saving her and her friends through the invasion and helping them getting settled here in the Pure Land." Kushina stated as she handed the pendant to Tetsuya.

"That is very sweet. I think I will cherish this pendant since it's a gift from the Busters." Tetsuya said as he put the pendant in his pocket.

"Busters?" Kushina asked out of curiosity.

"It was a nickname of the group of those twelve people that me and Yuki rescued which the Gatekeeper told me when I was in that brief coma like state. So that wasn't like something I made up right away, Sis." Tetsuya replied in an honest tone.

Kushina proceeded to smile and nudge at Tetsuya's arm. Then Tetsuya proceeded to have a smile on his face before nudging Kushina's arm. Tetsuya and Kushina both got up to look at the waters of the beach before running back inside the beach house while the thinking back of the unforgettable memories they made leading up to their respective reunions with their mother and father in turn made their lives go full circle.


	17. Epilogue

The following morning, Yumi woke up and walked into the lounging area to see that no one was up yet. Then Yumi decided to get a glass of water and took a seat in the lounging area. "_I should do something nice for Mommy, Daddy, Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato. Hmmm...wait I know._" Yumi thought to herself before she headed into the kitchen area. This is when Yumi found four bowls and a thing of oatmeal mix sitting on the counter.

After preparing the bowls of oatmeal, Yumi had found a couple of trays near the back door of the beach house in which she placed the bowls on. Then she made her way with the first tray to her parent's room while placing the other tray on the hallway outside. Upon taking a deep breath so that she wouldn't worry about spilling the tray, Yumi opened the door to the room where her parents were staying at.

Once Yumi placed the tray on the side of the bed, she noticed that Tetsuya was starting to wake up. Before Yumi could leave the room to drop off the other tray, she felt her hand being touched by her father's and she let go once she looked at him.

"Good morning, Daddy." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, sweetie. Did you make this oatmeal all by yourself?" Tetsuya said after giving his daughter a good morning hug, kiss and taking a bite of the oatmeal.

"Yes, I did. I'll be right back because I don't want Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato's breakfast going cold, so I am going to put it in their room." Yumi replied as she was about to head out of Tetsuya and Yuki's room.

"Ok, Yumi, sweetie." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

Then Yumi left Tetsuya and Yuki's room so she can deliver the other oatmeal tray to Kushina and Minato's room. By the time she made it to her destination, Yumi saw that both her uncle was fully awake, and her aunt was starting to wake up.

"What smells nice in here?" Kushina asked once she opened her eyes.

"Yours and Uncle Minato's breakfast." Yumi replied with nervousness in her voice as she placed the tray on the side of the bed.

"Oh, Yumi. It's very sweet of you to make me and your uncle breakfast, you know. Right, Minato." Kushina said right before nudging Minato.

"Yes, it is very nice of you to make us breakfast, Yumi." Minato said after taking a bite of the oatmeal.

"Thank you, Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato." Yumi said before she left the room.

Meanwhile, Yuki was starting to wake up and Tetsuya handed her a bowl of oatmeal.

"Hmm...did you make me breakfast this morning and brought it in here for me, my love?" Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"I would, Yuki. But to tell you the truth, it was our daughter that made us breakfast and brought it in here. She even made some for Kushina and Minato." Tetsuya replied in an honest tone.

"Yumi had done all of this. I'm very proud of her. Hmm...are you wondering why she would do such a very generous thing for us?" Yuki said while looking at Tetsuya.

"Yes, but again. I think she was doing this to show her love and appreciation for us as a family you know what I mean. Just as we long and hoped for." Tetsuya replied with a huge smile on his face.

"Yes, Tetsuya. I think so too. Oh, by the way, she did a decent job on the oatmeal. I hope she ate breakfast." Yuki said with a sigh under her breath.

"Don't worry, Yuki. I'll find out once I get up and around." Tetsuya said in a reassuring tone.

Tetsuya got out of bed and took the tray containing the empty bowls with him back to the kitchen area but not before changing clothes in the bathroom. Once he cleaned off the bowls and placed the tray in its original spot, Tetsuya notices that Yumi was in the lounging area finishing up a glass of water. Then Tetsuya decided to sit next to Yumi.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet, sweetie?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, Daddy. I had the same thing you guys did just wanted to take care of everyone first." Yumi replied with an honest.

"Oh, Yumi. You know that was very kind of you. Your mom said that you did a good job on breakfast." Tetsuya said as he rubbed on Yumi's head.

"If Mommy thought I did good on the oatmeal. What did you think of it, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"I thought you did a great job on the oatmeal, sweetie. Was it your first-time cooking something?" Tetsuya asked out of curiosity.

"Thank you, Daddy. Yes, it was my first-time cooking something without any help." Yumi replied as she hugged Tetsuya.

"That is the proudest thing you have ever done, sweetie." Tetsuya said with a big smile on his face.

Yumi had a smile on her face before she went into the room that she was staying at to change into her swim wear. Tetsuya had a tear dripping down his face while he was looking out the window. Then Yumi noticed the tear drop once she came back from changing outfits and felt concerned.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Yumi asked out of concern.

"Oh, it's that I am beginning to realize you have grown up a lot especially these past few weeks. Yumi, even though it felt like it was yesterday that I held you in my arms as a proud father and here I am making this statement. Therefore, I had a tear on my eye." Tetsuya replied with honesty.

"Aww...Daddy. No matter how much older I get and many memories we make like here at the beach I will always be your little girl." Yumi stated with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Yumi, sweetie. Head on to the beach where your mother, aunt and uncle are. Tell them I'll be there in a minute." Tetsuya said with a smile on his face.

Yumi proceeded to do what Tetsuya had told her and started to play on the beach. After Tetsuya had changed into his tank top and swimsuit, he went into the center of the lounging room and gave a curtain call bow. Upon standing up from the curtain call bow, Tetsuya spent the rest of his vacation time like he would for the rest of eternity with his family in happiness and peace.


End file.
